Look Tin Eli

Look Tin Eli is known for the landmark U.S. Circuit Court Look Tin Sing case affirming the birthright citizenship of Chinese Americans. Born in 1870 in Mendocino Tin Eli, then known by his childhood name of Tin Sing, was sent to China at age 9 to learn the language and culture. He returned at 14, only to be denied entry due to the recently-passed Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882. His victory in court laid the foundation for United States v. Wong Kim Ark, first Supreme Court precedent for birthright citizenship under the Fourteenth Amendment.

When he grew up, Look Tin Eli became a merchant, and moved to San Francisco. In 1906 as the manager of Hop Sing Bazaar he spear-headed the rebuilding of Chinatown and its transformation from a dangerous neighborhood of crime, drugs, and prostitution to the gorgeous tourist trap we love today.
The tourist trap part was deliberate - 1906 is the year when legitimate merchants came into their own in Chinatown, and they wanted it to be "the perfect Oriental City" for you to enjoy. Think about it - over a hundred years ago, people were thinking of how to please you, here, today. Go into one of the "veritable fairy palaces" that Look Tin Eli created and buy something to remember their care for you.

The devastation of the earthquake and fire was not the only thing Look Tin Eli and the other Chinese merchants had to fight. The same racists who pushed for the Exclusion act now mobilized to drive the Chinese from the prime location in the middle of San Francisco. Only after Oakland and Seattle offered their ports did the San Franciscans realize that they could not simply "relocate" the Chinese community to a worse place - they could only lose it together with its valuable shipping.

Mr. Look secured loans for rebuilding China Town, worked closely with the architect (T. Patterson Ross) to create the storybook design. In 1907 he worked with another prominent San Franciscan, Lew Hing, to open a branch of the Bank of Canton in Chinatown, the only bank at the time that loaned money to Chinatown locals for rebuilding.

A man of advanced views, Mr. Look was also the first person in United States (as far as I know) to celebrate a girl with the red-egg feast traditionally held for male babies.

For his exceptional contributions to the American Chinese community Look Tin Eli was honored by the Ch'ing dynasty with the "Minister of the Second Class of the Fourth Rank" title.

He was married three times and his descendants include the vocalist and composer Charmaine Lee (https://www.charmainelee.com/)