Liem Tuai
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Liem Eng Tuai | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Judge of the King County Superior Court | |
| In office 1977 – April 1, 1996 | |
| President of the Seattle City Council | |
| In office 1972 – October 2, 1973 | |
| Preceded by | Charles M. Carroll |
| Succeeded by | Sam Smith |
| Member of the Seattle City Council from District 4 | |
| In office May 19, 1969 – October 2, 1973 | |
| Preceded by | Paul Jacob Alexander |
| Succeeded by | George Benson |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1925 |
| Died | March 2, 2003 (aged 77) |
| Party | Republican |
| Spouse | Winnie Joyce Eng |
| Children | 3 sons |
| Alma mater | University of Washington (BA, JD) |
Liem Eng Tuai (1925–2003) was a member of the Seattle City Council from 1969 to 1973. In 1977, he was appointed a judge in the King County Superior Court and served until 1996.
Tuai was born in Port Townsend, Washington in 1925, the son of working-class Chinese immigrants.[1][2][3] He dropped out of Bremerton High School to work at Boeing as a machinist and at the family restaurant.[1][2][3] He then joined the US Air Force in Japan from 1946 to 1950 as a photographer and finished high school while in the military.[1][2] After serving in the military, Tuai used the G.I. Bill to enroll in the University of Washington, earning his bachelor's degree in 1954 and a Juris Doctor in 1956.[1][2]
In 1958, Tuai was hired in the King County Attorney's Office as a deputy prosecuting attorney, the first Chinese-American to hold this position.[1][2][4] He would also hold a position in the General Services Administration and work as a private attorney.[2]
Political career
In May 1969, councilmember Paul Jacob Alexander died of a sudden heart attack while at a conference in Washington, D.C..[5] On May 19, 1969, Tuai, a Republican, was appointed to fill the seat to preserve the political makeup of the council.[3] He would become the second Chinese-American to serve on the city council after Wing Luke.[2][3] Tuai ran for the full term and in the November general election Taui won in a landslide against W.G. Gordon, 74% to 26%.[6]
Tuai was a self-described moderate Republican who was fiscally conservative and pro-business.[1] He supported mandatory five-year sentences for drug dealing and opposed legislation requiring businesses to hire strikebreakers.[1]
During the groundbreaking for the Seattle Kingdome, Tuai and other city and county leaders faced protestors who said the Kingdome would harm the surrounding communities, including the Chinatown–International District.[7][8][9] the protestors accused Tuai of being a sellout and got into heated arguments with speakers while throwing mudballs at them.[7][8][9]
In 1972, Tuai was appointed council president and served until his resignation in 1973.[1][10] On October 2, 1973, he resigned from the city council to run for mayor against incumbent Wesley C. Uhlman.[1][10] In the November general election, Tuai lost to Uhlman, 51.3% to 48.6%.[6][11] In 1974, he lost election for a seat on the Washington Supreme Court and in 1975 he would lose his election to rejoin the council to council member John Miller.[1][6]