San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee, who died early Dec. 12 after collapsing from a heart attack, was more than the city’s first mayor of Chinese descent. At age 65, he had become a symbol of Asian American diversity, one of the first in his generation to break through barriers to show what happens when those of us previously shut out can do for everyone in society.
In doing so, he became one of the great examples of diversity in public service and an advocate for higher ed, as the San Francisco campus of the University of California expanded under his tenure.
For a city that is more than a third Asian, Lee became San Francisco’s first Asian American leader in 2011 when then-Mayor Gavin Newsome vacated the spot to become lieutenant governor.
As former Mayor Willie Brown said last week, when it came to a choice on who to succeed Newsome, it was clear that Lee was the choice on merit alone.
Lee had been one of the first beneficiaries of the civil rights era when opportunities in education were beginning in American society.
A bright student who grew up in public housing in Seattle, Lee was the first in his family to attend college, earning admission to Bowdoin College in Maine, more than 3,000 miles from his home.
After graduation, Lee attended University of California’s Boalt Law School in Berkeley. It was as a civil rights lawyer in Chinatown fighting for public housing where he made his name in the community.
