Wikipedia

Gordon Quan

Gordon Quan (Chinese: 關振鵬,[2]) is a Chinese-American immigration lawyer,[3] and former Houston City Council member. He was the second Asian American ever elected to Houston City Council.[4] He was the first Asian American to ever be elected to an at-large position in the Houston City Council.[5] Quan also once served as the Houston Mayor Pro Tem.[6]

Gordon Quan
關振鵬
Born (1948-04-16) April 16, 1948 (age 76)
Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China
EducationUniversity of Texas at Austin (BA)
University of Houston (M.Ed.)
South Texas College of Law Houston (JD)
OccupationImmigration Lawyer
Political partyDemocratic[1]
Websitehttps://quanlaw.com/
Gordon Quan
Traditional Chinese關振鵬
Simplified Chinese关振鹏
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinGuān Zhènpéng
Yue: Cantonese
JyutpingGwaan1 Zan3 Paang4

Early life

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Quan was born in Guangzhou in 1948, and he and his family later fled from China as a result of the Chinese Civil War.[7] His grandfather moved from Guangdong to Ciudad Juarez to work in a laundry. He later relocated to San Francisco and then to San Antonio, where he had Chinese-Mexican friends who were part of "Pershing's Chinese," a group that assisted John J. Pershing's forces during the Pancho Villa Expedition. Quan's father was William K.Y. Quan, a Chinese-American also originally from Guangdong province and a cofounder of the Asian American Bank of Houston.[8] Quan's mother was born in Georgia where his maternal grandfather had started a local school for Chinese children. His father had served in the U.S. Army and returned to China to pursue his education using the G.I. Bill at the time of Quan's birth.[9] As a result, Quan received U.S. citizenship by birth.[10] Quan's younger brother is Rick Quan, a sportscaster in San Francisco.[11] Quan's sister is Dr. Beverly Gor is a co-founder of the Hope Clinic which serves underved Asian communities in the Houston area.[12] While growing up, Quan's family was the only Asian American family on his block[4] while living in Houston's East End.[13] He attended Milby High School.[14] He then attended the University of Texas graduating with a degree in History and Government in 1970.[9]

Career

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Gordon Quan taught at E.O. Smith Junior High in Houston's Fifth Ward for 3 years before receiving his Masters in Guidance and Counseling from the University of Houston in 1973. He would then take night classes at the South Texas College of Law while teaching to receive his Juris Doctor in 1977.[9] Quan founded his immigration firm, Quan, Burdette & Perez PC, in early 1980.[15] In 1999, Quan became the second Asian-American after Martha Wong to serve as a member on the Houston City Council.[16] Quan began serving as City of Houston Mayor Pro-Tem in 2002.[17] He served in the at-large Position 2. Quan's final term was scheduled to end after the November 8, 2005 city council election; as he was term-limited, he was unable to run again.[18] As a council member, Quan urged Asian Americans to become more involved in politics.[19] Quan had been elected president of the board of directors of the Asian Pacific American Municipal Officials organization.[20] Quan has also served on the National Commissions on Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity.[21] After Hurricane Katrina occurred in 2005, Quan's office organized relief for Asian American businesses, community groups, professional associations, and churches.[22] In 2010, Quan was investigated by the Texas Ethics Commission for failing to report campaign expenses.[23] He was then fined $300 in 2012 for the incomplete records.[24]

In 2005, Quan's firm was one of the largest immigration law firms in the U.S.[5] In 2007, Quan's firm and Tindall & Foster PC merged, becoming Foster Quan LLP.[15] In 2014, FosterQuan split, becoming Quan Law Group.[25]

As of 2010 he lives in the Memorial area.[10]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Candidate questionnaire: Gordon Quan, county judge challenger". Retrieved December 2, 2024.
  2. ^ "關振鵬指 艾彌特捐款欠透明." (Archive) World Journal. July 22, 2010. Retrieved on July 28, 2012.
  3. ^ "Political vulnerability eyed in DeLay district." Associated Press at the Boston Globe. April 10, 2005. Retrieved on July 28, 2012.
  4. ^ a b Luo, Michael. "Athlete increases profile for Asian-Americans." Associated Press at the Telegraph Herald. Sunday February 9, 2003. National 10A. Retrieved from Google News (10 of 90) on July 28, 2012.
  5. ^ a b Colley, Jenna. "Councilman Quan exploring bid for Congress." Houston Business Journal. Friday May 6, 2005. Retrieved on July 28, 2012.
  6. ^ Longman, Jere. "NBA's cultural exchange." The New York Times at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. December 22, 2002. Retrieved on July 28, 2012. "[...]said Gordon Quan, a Chinese-American who is the city's mayor pro tem"
  7. ^ "http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=ST&s_site=dfw&p_multi=ST&p_theme=realcities&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=102EFA134E0985FD&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM Asian American Pacific Heritage]." Fort Worth Star-Telegram. May 29, 2004. Retrieved on July 28, 2012. "Gordon Quan, 56 Birthplace: China Texas ties: Quan and his family fled China"
  8. ^ Villafranca, Armando. "OBITUARIES / Quan, bank co-founder, father of councilman." Houston Chronicle. Friday December 16, 2005. B5. Retrieved on July 28, 2012.
  9. ^ a b c "Gordon Quan oral history interview - Rice University Digital Collections". digitalcollections.rice.edu. Retrieved 2024-11-28.
  10. ^ a b Moran, Chris. "Democrats Quan, Hassan vie for Harris County judge." Houston Chronicle. Friday February 12, 2010. Retrieved on July 28, 2012.
  11. ^ Lin, Sam Chu. "Houston Waits to Help APA Evacuees Archived 2013-01-17 at archive.today." AsianWeek. September 16, 2005. Retrieved on July 28, 2012.
  12. ^ Guillermo, Emil (2016-02-29). "On Super Tuesday, Asian Americans in Texas Poised to Make a Difference". NBC News. Retrieved 2024-12-05.
  13. ^ Wall, Olivia (November 20, 2024). "Gordon Quan: A Paragon of Diversity". Houston History Magazine.
  14. ^ "Distinguished HISD Alumni." Houston Independent School District. Retrieved on November 3, 2015.
  15. ^ a b Gunter, Ford. "Houston law firms to form immigration powerhouse." Houston Business Journal. Sunday October 19, 2008. Retrieved on July 28, 2012.
  16. ^ "Houston History: The Quan Family". City Cast Houston. Retrieved 2024-12-02.
  17. ^ Apodaca, Gene. "Former Mayor Pro Tem Gordon Quan reacts." KTRK-TV. Tuesday March 14, 2006. Retrieved on July 28, 2012.
  18. ^ Mack, Kristen. "5 contenders seek Quan's Position 2 seat." Houston Chronicle. Monday October 24, 2005. Retrieved on July 28, 2012.
  19. ^ Zheng, Chunhua Zen. "Quan urges Chinese-Americans to become more active in politics." Houston Chronicle. Thursday June 28, 2001. ThisWeek 2. Retrieved on July 28, 2012.
  20. ^ "APAMO elects new board of directors.(Asian Pacific American[...]" Nation's Cities Weekly. July 1, 2002. Retrieved on July 28, 2012. "Gordon Quan, mayor pro tem of Houston, Tex., was recently elected as the president of the 2002 Board of Directors of the Asian Pacific American Municipal"
  21. ^ "Candidate questionnaire: Gordon Quan, county judge challenger". Chron. 2010-10-27. Retrieved 2024-12-05.
  22. ^ Zheng, Zen T.C. "Asian residents aid victims." Houston Chronicle. Thursday September 15, 2005. Retrieved on July 28, 2012.
  23. ^ Moran, Chris (2010-09-08). "State ethics probe focuses on Quan's campaign finances". Chron. Retrieved 2024-12-05.
  24. ^ "Ex-Councilman Quan fined $300 over campaign files". Chron. 2012-01-12. Retrieved 2024-12-05.
  25. ^ "FosterQuan is splitting as top Houston immigration lawyer forms new law group - Houston Business Journal". Archived from the original on 2014-11-01.
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