the lim poon lee post office act

This week, Speaker Nancy Pelosi intrduced the Lim Poon Lee Post Office Act, commemorating the life of the first Chinese American Postmaster in the United States, and dedicating the post office located at 867 Stockton Street in San Francisco's Chinatown as 'The Lim Poon Lee Post Office':

Pelosi Introduces the Lim Poon Lee Post Office Act

Washington, D.C. - Speaker Nancy Pelosi introduced the Lim Poon Lee Post Office Act this week with a bipartisan group of 35 original co-sponsors. Speaker Pelosi released the following statement:

"The Lim Poon Lee Post Office Act will commemorate the life of the first Chinese American Postmaster in the United States. By dedicating the post office located at 867 Stockton Street in San Francisco's Chinatown as 'The Lim Poon Lee Post Office,' we honor the life of a dedicated public servant and proud American.

"President Lyndon B. Johnson appointed Lim Poon Lee Postmaster of San Francisco in 1966. At the time, it was the highest federal appointive post ever held by a Chinese American. Lee transformed the face of San Francisco's postal service, increasing the hiring of women, minority, and disabled postal employees. In 1977, Lee established San Francisco's Chinatown Post Office, the post office located at 867 Stockton Street. It is fitting that this post office now be named for him.

"Born in Hong Kong in 1911, Postmaster Lee moved to San Francisco with his family as an infant. After serving as a U.S. Army counterintelligence specialist during World War II, he attended the College of the Pacific and the Lincoln University Law School. Postmaster Lee passed away at the age of 91 in 2002.

"California, and particularly San Francisco, is blessed to have a diverse population, including a vibrant Chinese American community that represents the beauty and strength of our country."

Here's a story from a few years back on Lim Poon Lee, the nation's first Chinese American postmaster: Chinese-American Postmaster Left Indelible Stamp on Postal Service. And here's a San Francisco Chronicle obituary from when Lee died in 2002: Lim Poon Lee -- former postmaster of San Francisco.