Tom Hsieh

Thomas Hsieh Sr. (born 1931) is an American politician and architect. He was San Francisco's third Chinese-American supervisor when he was appointed to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in 1986. He was re-elected twice and termed out of office in 1996. He's previously also served as a San Francisco Public Utilities Commissioner and San Francisco Police Commissioner.

Tom Hsieh Sr.
San Francisco Board of Supervisors
In office
September 5, 1986 – January 8, 1997
Personal details
Born1931 (age 90–91)
Alma materSan Francisco City College,
UC Berkeley (M.Arch)
Occupation

Early life

Hsieh was born in Beijing and immigrated to the United States at age 19.[1] Hsieh attended City College of San Francisco.[2] He received his Master of Architecture from University of California, Berkeley.[3]

Career

Hsieh was appointed to various San Francisco committees in the 1970s when he was raising money for the Democratic Party.[3] He was previously appointed to the San Francisco Arts Commission by Mayor Joseph Alioto.[4] He served as the first Asian commissioner on the San Francisco Police Commission and was a commissioner on the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission from 1980 to 1984.[5]

Hsieh was appointed to fill a vacancy to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in 1986 by Mayor Dianne Feinstein.[3] He was the first Asian American supervisor to be elected in a citywide election.[4]

Hsieh opposed restrictions on the sale of live animals for food in San Francisco, an issue that arose in the Animal Control and Welfare Commission.[6]

Hsieh was a member of the Metropolitan Transportation Commission and was in support of creating a commuter rail line on the San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge.[7]

Hsieh was a member of the Budget and Economic Vitality and Social Policy committees.[8]

Hsieh ran for Mayor of San Francisco in the 1991 election as a pro-business fiscal conservative.[3][9] He placed fourth with around 10% of the vote.[10]

Hsieh termed out in 1996, exiting the office in January 1997.[11] He was seen as a potential candidate for City Treasurer in the 1997 election but declined to run.[12]

Personal life

Hsieh resided in Nob Hill, San Francisco.[3] He received a heart bypass in 1995.[13] Hsieh has two sons.[14] His son Tom Hsieh Jr. is a political consultant and ran as "Tom Hsieh" on the ballots to represent District 4 in the 2000 San Francisco Board of Supervisors election, losing to Leland Yee.[15][16]

Hsieh and philanthropist Rosalyn Koo are family friends. Koo has served as treasurer for his election campaigns.[2]

References
  1. Mathews, Jay (1991-06-11). "SAN FRANCISCO CAMPAIGN MAY ACCENT ASIAN CLOUT". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2021-07-02.
  2. Nakao, Annie (1995-05-29). "PERSISTENCE PAYS OFF". SFGATE. Retrieved 2021-07-02.
  3. Mungan, Christina (June 6, 1991). "Tom Hsieh Kicks Off Mayoral Campaign With Lions and Attack on Rival". AP NEWS. Retrieved 2021-07-02.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  4. Gordon, Rachel (1997-01-07). "Master of budget Hsieh departs". SFGATE. Retrieved 2021-07-02.
  5. "Police Commissioner Elected S.F. Community Hospital Chairman" (PDF). The San Francisco Policeman. San Francisco Police Officers Association. 16. December 1984.
  6. "Hsieh to fight ban on live animal sales". SFGATE. 1996-10-03. Retrieved 2021-07-01.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  7. Epstein, Edward (1998-10-22). "Bay Bridge Rail Could Double Car Toll / Mayors criticize transit agency's $3 billion cost estimate". SFGATE. Retrieved 2021-07-02.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  8. Gordon, Rachel (1995-01-17). "Board's committee slots OK'd". SFGATE. Retrieved 2021-07-02.
  9. Hua, Vanessa; Stannard, Matthew B. (2007-12-02). "Asian Americans flex political muscle in wider Bay Area". SFGATE. Retrieved 2021-07-01.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  10. Gordon, Rachel (2011-01-11). "SF Asian Americans ascending in halls of power". SFGATE. Retrieved 2021-07-01.
  11. King, John (1996-10-08). "27 Chasing 6 Spots on S.F. Board of Supervisors". SFGATE. Retrieved 2021-07-01.
  12. "BAY AREA REPORT -- SAN FRANCISCO / Supervisor Leal to Run For City Treasurer". SFGATE. 1997-04-18. Retrieved 2021-07-02.
  13. Gordon, Rachel (1995-02-28). "SAN FRANCISCO / S.F. Supervisor Hsieh Gets Heart Bypass". SFGATE. Retrieved 2021-07-02.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  14. Walsh, Diana (1995-11-28). "State fines Hsieh 7,000". SFGATE. Retrieved 2021-07-02.
  15. Matier, Phil (2000-08-28). "Bridge Retrofit to Wipe Out 4,000 Parking Spots". SFGATE. Retrieved 2021-07-02.
  16. Knight, Heather (2016-05-11). "Crowded field vies for obscure but mighty Democratic committee". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 2021-07-02.
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