Charlie Chong was a populist

Populism

Populism can be defined as an ideology, political philosophy, or type of discourse. Generally, a common theme compares "the people" against "the elite", and urges social and political system changes. It can also be defined as a rhetorical style employed by members of various political or social...

 Seattle political figure and activist on behalf of the Pike Place Market

Pike Place Market

Pike Place Market is a public market overlooking the Elliott Bay waterfront in Seattle, Washington, United States. The Market opened August 17, 1907, and is one of the oldest continually operated public farmers' markets in the United States. It is a place of business for many small farmers,...

 and against the marginalization of West Seattle. He was born on the island of Maui

Maui

The island of Maui is the second-largest of the Hawaiian Islands at and is the 17th largest island in the United States. Maui is part of the state of Hawaii and is the largest of Maui County's four islands, bigger than Lānai, Kahoolawe, and Molokai. In 2010, Maui had a population of 144,444,...

, Hawaii

Hawaii

Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...

, in 1926, and died in Seattle's Providence Hospital on April 26, 2007.

Chong graduated from Honolulu's St. Louis High School, and after service in the United States Army

United States Army

The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...

 studied at Georgetown University

Georgetown University

Georgetown University is a private, Jesuit, research university whose main campus is in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded in 1789, it is the oldest Catholic university in the United States...

, where he edited the Foreign Service News Letter before receiving (in 1951) a Bachelor of Science degree in Foreign Service. He served in the United States Air Force in the Philippines, Korea, and Japan, 1951-1954.

After retiring from a varied career in public service positions and the canning industry, he came to public notice in the mid-1980s as an advocate of tenant rights at the Pike Place Market. From 1989 to 1993 he served as president of the Admiral

North Admiral, Seattle, Washington

North Admiral is the oldest neighborhood in West Seattle, Washington. In the early 1900s it was connected to Seattle by ferries and a cable car. These ferries included the paddle steamers City of Seattle and West Seattle.The North Admiral district is the location of West Seattle High School...

 Community Council and as West Seattle's representative on the Seattle Open Space Committee and Shoreline Parks Improvement Fund (SPIF).

In 1995, he ran as a protest candidate for City Council, and though he lost, he gained citywide name familiarity which enabled him to win a seat on the City Council the next year. In 1997 he ran for mayor, coming in second in the primary but losing to Paul Schell

Paul Schell

Paul Schell, born Paul Schlachtenhaufen on October 8, 1937, in Fort Dodge, Iowa, was the 50th mayor of Seattle, Washington. His four-year term as mayor began on January 1, 1998....

in the general election. (Seattle city offices are officially nonpartisan.) He was again an unsuccessful candidate for City Council in 1999.

External links

• Obituary (Seattle P-I)
• "About Charlie"