Delbert E. Wong

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Delbert E. Wong
Superior Court Judge
Born 1920|05|17}}
Hanford, California
Spouse Dolores Wong
Alma mater Berkeley

Delbert Wong, the first Chinese American judge in the continental United States. Judge Wong passed away on March 10, 2006, at the age of 85.

Delbert Wong was born in Hanford, California on May 17, 1920, and was raised a short distance away in Bakersfield. After obtaining an Associate of Arts degree from Bakersfield College, he transferred to the University of California, Berkeley, where he received an undergraduate degree in business and was a member of the fraternity Pi Alpha Phi.

After he left U.C. Berkeley, Delbert joined the Army Air Corps during World War II, and became one of eighteen B-17 Flying Fortress navigators that graduated in his class at Mather Field in Sacramento. During his service with the military, he was one of only three navigators who completed their thirty bombing missions. For his bravery and dedication, First Lieutenant Delbert Wong was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, as well as four Air Medals, for his wartime service.

Following the war, Delbert was faced with a tough choice: should he join his family's grocery business or enter law school? He chose law school, and in 1949, became the first Chinese American graduate of Stanford Law School. After his graduation, Delbert continued to break new ground. He was the first Asian American to be appointed Deputy Legislative Counsel serving the California State Legislature, and the first Asian American to be appointed a Deputy State Attorney General.

During his tenure as a Deputy State Attorney General, Delbert was appointed by then-Governor Pat Brown to the Los Angeles County Municipal Court bench in 1959, making him the first Chinese American named to the bench in the continental United States. Two years later, Judge Wong was elevated to the Superior Court, where he served for over 20 years.

Throughout his career, Judge Wong was an exemplary jurist who dedicated his life to public service. Even after he retired from the bench in 1986, he continued to be deeply involved in his community.

Among his many accomplishments, Judge Wong researched and reported on racial issues within the Los Angeles Airport Police Bureau at the request of the Los Angeles Department of Airports; was appointed by then-Mayor of Los Angeles Tom Bradley to serve on a panel tasked with drafting an ethics policy for the City of Los Angeles; and was appointed Chair of the Asian Pacific American Focus Program of the National Conference of Christians and Jews, to combat the rise in violence against Asian Americans.

Together with his wife, Dolores, Judge Wong was also an ardent supporter of the Chinese American community, making significant contributions to the Asian Pacific American Legal Center, the Chinatown Service Center and the Asian Pacific American Friends of the Center Theater Group.

Judge Wong is survived by his wife, Dolores; his children Kent, Shelley, Duane and Marshall; and his three grandchildren.