Linda Qiu

**Linda Qiu** (born 13 August 1945) is a Californian politician and lawyer who served as Minister of Minority Rights from 2006 to 2014. She was additionally a member of the Chamber of Deputies, representing Orange, from 2002 to 2015. Qiu retired from politics on 31 December 2015. Her husband is former Prime Minister George Perry.

Born to Chinese immigrants in Los Angeles, Qiu graduated from Immaculate Heart High School in 1963. She went on to attend the University of Berkeley, graduating with a bachelor's degree in economics in 1967. Qiu then enrolled in Stanford University and graduated with her juris doctor in 1970. She worked as a corporate attorney in Los Angeles for several years, creating her own law firm in 1985 and working there until beginning her political career in 2002.

Qiu's political career began in 2002, when she was elected to the Chamber of Deputies as a member of the Republican Party, representing Orange. Following the 2006 election, Qiu was appointed as the inaugural Minister of Minority Rights by Prime Minister Archibald Neumann. Throughout her tenure as Minister of Minority Rights, Qiu received harsh criticism from members of the black and mestizo communities in California that she did not actively protect them from discrimination, instead focusing more on women's rights. After her coalition lost their majority in the 2014 election, she lost her position as minister. She later retired from politics and resigned from her seat in the Chamber of Deputies in 2015.

## Early life and family

Qiu was born on 13 August 1945 to parents Qiu Wang Shu and Ying Yue (née *Chu*) in Los Angeles. Qiu's Chinese name is *Feng Mian*. Her parents immigrated to California from Beijing, China in 1942, shortly after their marriage. Wang Shu and Ying Yue Anglicized their names to Robert and Anne, respectively, after immigrating. Robert ran a multi-million dollar shipping company, while Anne was a housewife. Qiu was raised as an only child in a six-bedroom house in the Los Feliz neighborhood of Los Angeles.

## Education and early career

Qiu attended private schooling in Los Angeles, beginning her schooling in 1950. She began attending Immaculate Heart High School in 1956, and later began high school at Immaculate Heart in 1959. While in high school, Qiu served as the secretary of her class, but experienced some racism from her classmates as she was one of the few non-white and non-Catholic students in attendance. She graduated from high school in 1963, and went on to attend the University of Berkeley, the most prestigious public university in California. She graduated with a bachelor's degree in economics in 1967.

After finishing her bachelor's degree, Qiu enrolled in Stanford Law School at Stanford University, the most prestigious law school in the nation. While at Stanford, Qiu experienced sexism from her overwhelmingly male classmates, and was one of the few female students. She said that she was nonetheless still able to hold her own, and still befriended many of the male students. Qiu graduated with her juris doctor in 1970. After graduating, Qiu returned to Los Angeles and began working as a corporate attorney. She states that the sexism she experienced in law school intensified while working as an actual lawyer, but began to die down when her coworkers realized that she was just as good at her job as they were. She created her own law firm in 1985, but left her legal career to enter politics in 2002.

## Political career

### Chamber of Deputies

In 2001, Qiu was invited by the by the Republican Party to be included on their ticket for the 2002 Californian general election in Orange. The party ultimately won enough seats for Qiu to be seated, and she became a member of the Chamber of Deputies. She was later reelected in the 2006, 2010, and 2014 elections. Qiu resigned her seat in 2015, when she announced she'd be retiring from politics.

### Minister of Minority Rights

In 2006, Qiu was appointed the inaugural Minister of Minority Rights by Prime Minister Archibald Neumann. As the first officeholder, her job was to lead government policy regarding the rights of California's ethnic, religious, and sexual minorities in addition to women. As Minister of Minority Rights, Qiu received harsh criticism from members of the black and mestizo communities in California for neglecting ethnic minorities besides her own. After her coalition lost their majority in the 2014 election, Qiu was succeeded by Bonita Peralta.

## Personal life

Qiu began a romantic relationship with George Perry in 1969, while they were both law students at Stanford University. They became engaged in 1971, and later married the following year. After their marriage, they resided in Anaheim, Orange. When Perry was elected Prime Minister in 1986, the family moved to Palisades Estate in Los Angeles, the official residence of the Prime Minister. They returned to Anaheim in 1990, after Perry did not receive a second term. Qiu was raised without a religion, but converted to Presbyterianism after her marriage. She speaks fluent Mandarin Chinese in addition to English.

Qiu and Perry have three children together; their children include Margaret "Maggie", born  (1976-03-22) 22 March 1976 (age 47), Jacob, born  (1979-07-01) 1 July 1979 (age 44), and Robert, born  (1980-11-15) 15 November 1980 (age 43). Maggie is a politician, who has been a member of the Chamber of Deputies since 2014, while Jacob and Robert both work as attorneys in Los Angeles.