Kangren Zhang, the agent of the Qing Dynasty in the United States.

Kangren Zhang Kangren Zhang is a lawyer. He was recalled with his classmates at Yale University, but with the help of his brother, he returned to the United States and completed his law school at Columbia University. After a long struggle, he became the first China lawyer to be allowed to practice in the United States. His knowledge was later used by the state, and the court gave him the status of "legal scholar".

The earliest Chinese American lawyer-Kangren Zhang

Kangren Zhang is one of the first batch of 30 children from China studying in the United States sponsored by Yung Wing. He was born in a businessman's family in Nanping Township, Xiangshan County, Guangdong Province. He was only 13 years old when he entered the public high school in Hartford, Connecticut. Kangren Zhang was a first-year law student at Yale University when the Qing government ordered the recall of all young children studying in the United States for fear that they were too American.

Kangren Zhang has a brother who is doing business in Hawaii and is very rich. With the support of his brother, Kangren Zhang returned to the United States to continue studying at Yale University, and graduated in 18 83. He entered Columbia University Law School to study for a law degree and graduated from 1886. However, he was not allowed to take the New York State Bar Association qualification examination. According to the common system in the United States, you must be a member of the state bar association to obtain a lawyer's license. According to the Civil Procedure Law of New York State at that time, only American citizens can become practicing lawyers in New York State, but the Chinese Exclusion Act has prohibited Chinese from becoming naturalized.

With the help of alumni, the New York State Assembly passed a special bill on May 2 1887, allowing the Supreme Court of new york City to exempt Kangren Zhang from the foreign nationality factor and directly allow him to join the State Bar Association, provided that Kangren Zhang passed the normal bar exam satisfactorily.

Kangren Zhang took the 1887 exam and got high marks from three examiners. The three judges unanimously recommended that Kangren Zhang be accepted as a full-time lawyer.

But when Kangren Zhang formally submitted an application to the Supreme Court, the application was rejected. Charles Blunt, the chief justice of the Supreme Court, told Kangren Zhang that the state legislature only allowed the Supreme Court to accept Kangren Zhang, but did not force the Supreme Court to accept Kangren Zhang. "The state legislature gave the Supreme Court autonomy in this case, and the Supreme Court decided not to accept Kangren Zhang's application".

According to The New York Times, it is his foreign nationality that hinders Kangren Zhang. When several Supreme Court justices met to study these applications, Justice Blunt and Justice Charles Daniels objected to accepting Kangren Zhang as a lawyer. They pointed out that Kangren Zhang had not obtained American citizenship, and the Court of Appeal had ruled in O 'Neill's case that foreigners who had not been naturalized in the United States could not obtain a lawyer's license in New York State.

While the Supreme Court was still debating Kangren Zhang, Kangren Zhang was already making a second effort. He began to apply to the court for naturalization. Before taking the qualification examination, he first submitted an application for naturalization to the Federal District Court of new york. There, his application was rejected on the grounds that the existing laws prohibited China people from being naturalized.

He went to new york District Court to try his luck. In June1887165438+1October 1 1, Kangren Zhang obtained the first naturalization document from Judge George Hu Sen of the Intermediate Civil and Criminal Court of New York State. At that time, new york Intermediate Civil Criminal Court was dubbed as a naturalization machine, because it indiscriminately recruited immigrants for naturalization. It is said that a judge issued 1683 naturalization certificates a day.

With the naturalization certificate, Kangren Zhang intends to apply for the qualification as a lawyer again in the second year. He said that if he was rejected again, he would submit the case to the Court of Appeal or even the Federal Supreme Court.

He joined a law firm in new york and applied again the next year. This time, he didn't have any trouble. 1888 may 17, admitted to the new York state bar association and obtained a lawyer's practice license. From then on, he can appear as a lawyer in the New York State Court.

Kangren Zhang eventually became the first official Chinese-American lawyer.

However, the trouble is not over yet.

Kangren Zhang's naturalization caused a burst of criticism and protest from American public opinion. For example, The New York Times asked, "Why did Judge Hu Sen agree to Kangren Zhang's naturalization? This question puzzled all lawyers and most judges in court yesterday. Since the passage of the 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act, nothing is clearer than this [no naturalization] clause. Apart from this Kangren Zhang, no China people in this city are recognized as naturalized. A common view is that Judge Hu Sen's decision to naturalize Kangren Zhang is invalid.

Perhaps because most people in China live in California, Kangren Zhang decided to move to California to start a business. 1890, he went to California and applied to join the California Bar Association. However, his citizenship was questioned and his application was rejected. California Supreme Court Justice Fox ruled that Kangren Zhang's naturalization certificate was issued illegally and therefore invalid.

Because California law also stipulates that lawyers must have American citizenship, and Kangren Zhang is not an American citizen, so he is not qualified to be a lawyer in California.

Unable to become a lawyer, Kangren Zhang had to compromise and found a job as an interpreter in a bank. He later became an interpreter in the consulate of the Qing government. Liang Qichao recorded in Travel Notes of the New World that when he was traveling in the United States, he met all the young children studying in the United States. Most of them are translators of China Consulate or comprador of China Bank.

Later, Kangren Zhang worked as an interpreter in the missions of the Qing government in Vancouver, North Korea and Washington for many years, and finally resigned and became a lawyer in Hawaii.

(Dr. Zhang Qingsong, June 5438 +654381October+February 2000)

Source: American Chinese website/aczui/zui004.htm.

Author: Zhang Qingsong

How does the United States treat China's earliest elite studying in the United States (C)

When Kangren Zhang formally submitted an application to the Supreme Court of New York, it was rejected. Charles Blunt, the chief justice of the Supreme Court, told Kangren Zhang that the state legislature only allowed the Supreme Court to accept Kangren Zhang, but did not force the Supreme Court to accept Kangren Zhang. "The state legislature gave the Supreme Court autonomy in this case, and the Supreme Court decided not to accept Kangren Zhang's application".

According to The New York Times, it is his foreign nationality that hinders Kangren Zhang. When several Supreme Court justices met to study these applications, Justice Blunt and Justice Charles Daniels objected to accepting Kangren Zhang as a lawyer. They pointed out that Kangren Zhang had not obtained American citizenship, and the Court of Appeal had ruled in O 'Neill's case that foreigners who had not been naturalized in the United States could not obtain a lawyer's license in New York State.

John Brady, another Supreme Court justice, agreed to accept Kangren Zhang. He pointed out that in the same O 'Neill case, the Court of Appeal also ruled that the state legislature had the right to exempt the foreign nationality of the applicant for lawyer qualification. Kangren Zhang was exempted from China citizenship by the state legislature.

From a legal point of view, Brady's point of view is correct. In O 'Neill's case, the ruling of the Federal Court of Appeal wrote: "American citizenship is the most basic qualification to apply for practicing lawyers in this state court." But at the same time, the court of appeal also announced: "It seems that the state legislature has the constitutional right to grant certain foreigners the privilege of practicing lawyers."

The state legislature did not violate the federal Chinese Exclusion Act. The state legislature only asked the court not to reject Kangren Zhang's application on the grounds that he was a foreigner. Kangren Zhang is still a foreigner, but he can also become a lawyer. However, other Supreme Court judges voted against accepting Kangren Zhang.

While the Supreme Court was still debating Kangren Zhang, Kangren Zhang was already making a second effort. He began to apply to the court for naturalization. Before taking the qualification examination, he first submitted an application for naturalization to the Federal District Court of new york. There, his application was rejected on the grounds that the existing laws prohibited China people from being naturalized.

He went to new york District Court to try his luck. In June1887165438+1October 1 1, Kangren Zhang obtained the first naturalization document from Judge George Hu Sen of the Intermediate Civil and Criminal Court of New York State. At that time, new york Intermediate Civil Criminal Court was dubbed as a naturalization machine, because it indiscriminately recruited immigrants for naturalization. It is said that a judge issued 1683 naturalization certificates a day.

With the naturalization certificate, Kangren Zhang intends to apply for the qualification as a lawyer again in the second year. He said that if he was rejected again, he would submit the case to the Court of Appeal or even the Federal Supreme Court.

He joined a law firm in new york and applied again the next year. This time, he didn't have any trouble. 1888 may 17, admitted to the new York state bar association and obtained a lawyer's practice license. From then on, he can appear as a lawyer in the New York State Court.

Kangren Zhang eventually became the first official Chinese-American lawyer.

However, the trouble is not over yet.

Kangren Zhang's naturalization caused a burst of criticism and protest from American public opinion. For example, The New York Times's attitude towards immigrants from China has always been mild, but he is firmly opposed to China citizenship, so he asked, "Why did Judge Hu Sen agree to be naturalized in Kangren Zhang? This question puzzled all lawyers and most judges in court yesterday. Since the passage of the 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act, nothing is clearer than this [no naturalization] clause. Apart from this Kangren Zhang, no China people in this city are recognized as naturalized. A common view is that Judge Hu Sen's decision to naturalize Kangren Zhang is invalid.

Perhaps because most people in China live in California, Kangren Zhang decided to move to California to start a business. 1890, he went to California and applied to join the California Bar Association. However, his citizenship was questioned and his application was rejected. California Supreme Court Justice Fox ruled that Kangren Zhang's naturalization certificate was issued illegally and therefore invalid.

Because California law also stipulates that lawyers must have American citizenship, and Kangren Zhang is not an American citizen, so he is not qualified to be a lawyer in California.

Unable to become a lawyer, Kangren Zhang had to compromise and found a job as an interpreter in a bank. He later became an interpreter in the consulate of the Qing government. Liang Qichao recorded in Travel Notes of the New World that when he was traveling in the United States, he met all the young children studying in the United States. Most of them are translators of China Consulate or comprador of China Bank.

Later, Kangren Zhang worked as an interpreter in the missions of the Qing government in Vancouver, North Korea and Washington for many years, and finally resigned and became a lawyer in Hawaii.

Kangren Zhang's story has multiple meanings. First of all, it reveals the destructive influence of the Chinese Exclusion Act, especially the policy of prohibiting naturalization, on the life of immigrants in China. Chinese are not only deprived of the right to participate in American politics, but also excluded from some higher occupations. Second, it reflects the contradictions encountered by naturalized Chinese. Although they have naturalization certificates, they still cannot be recognized by the US government. These documents will be cancelled or confiscated sooner or later. Third, the U.S. government's non-recognition attitude is directed at all China people, regardless of their background, education, social status or Americanization.

Kangren Zhang lived in the United States for 65,438+05 years. He has a degree that any American envies and has a deeper understanding of the American system than most Americans. Is such a person ineligible to become an American citizen? But he was kicked out of the civic circle. His lawyer's license was also revoked. All this is because he is from China.

This place is really a policy of "learning from the past, leaving no one behind". Perhaps it is because if this person is spared and he is still a lawyer, the Chinese Exclusion Act will be challenged. I'm afraid this is also a strategy to kill the chicken to show the monkey. Even China people like Kangren Zhang can't be recognized, so other China people should stop this wishful thinking before it is too late.