Tom Hsieh
Thomas Hsieh Sr. (born 1931) is an American politician and architect. He was San Francisco's third Chinese-American supervisor when he was appointed to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in 1986. He was re-elected twice and termed out of office in 1996. He's previously also served as a San Francisco Public Utilities Commissioner and San Francisco Police Commissioner. Early life. Hsieh was born in Beijing and immigrated to the United States at age 19. Hsieh attended City College of San Francisco. He received his Master of Architecture from University of California, Berkeley. Career. Hsieh  was appointed to various San Francisco committees in the 1970s when he was raising money for the Democratic Party. He was previously appointed to the San Francisco Arts Commission by Mayor Joseph Alioto. He served as the first Asian commissioner on the San Francisco Police Commission and was a commissioner on the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission from 1980 to 1984. Hsieh was appointed to fill a vacancy to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in 1986 by Mayor Dianne Feinstein. He was the first Asian American supervisor to be elected in a citywide election. Hsieh opposed restrictions on the  sale of live animals for food in San Francisco, an issue that arose in the Animal Control and Welfare Commission. Hsieh was a member of the Metropolitan Transportation Commission and was in support of creating a commuter rail line on the San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge. Hsieh was a member of the Budget and Economic Vitality and Social Policy committees. Hsieh ran for Mayor of San Francisco in the 1991 election as a pro-business fiscal conservative. He placed fourth with around 10% of the vote. Hsieh termed out in 1996, exiting the office in January 1997. He was seen  as a potential candidate for City Treasurer in the 1997 election but declined to run. Personal life. Hsieh resided in Nob Hill, San Francisco. He received a heart bypass in 1995. Hsieh has two sons. His son Tom Hsieh Jr. is a political consultant and ran as "Tom Hsieh" on the ballots to represent District 4 in the 2000 San Francisco Board of Supervisors election, losing to Leland Yee. Hsieh and philanthropist Rosalyn Koo are family friends. Koo has served as treasurer for his election campaigns.