Look Tin Eli is not a popular name unless you study Chinese-American history. Yet arguably, his greatest contribution was how he became the chief negotiator for the rebuilding of Chinatown after the 1906 Earthquake and fire, and can be considered the father of all modern Chinatowns.
Early Life
Look Tin Eli (aka Look Tin Sing) was born in Mendocino, California, in 1870 to Luk Bing-Tai (known locally as Eli Tia Key) and Su Wong. Luk the elder originally worked as a cook for the local magnate upon arrival, but was able to raise enough money to open a general store in town. Luk the elder's bride is actually Native American, but raised by a Chinese American family. The couple had four children: 3 sons and 1 daughter including Look Tin Eli. The elder Luk decided that all of his sons needed a proper Chinese education, so he sent each of his sons back to China at the age of 9. Look Tin Eli left in 1879. The decision was likely based on the fact that back then Chinese Americans are not allowed to own real estate nor the children may obtain a public education.
Return to America
US passed Chinese Exclusion Act in 1882. While Look Tin Eli was born in the US and therefore should be exempt from the ban, he was nonetheless denied entry when he returned in 1884, at the age of 14. The official reason given was he lacked a "Certificate of Return", never mind the fact that when he left the certificate did not exist.
So Look Tin Eli, with backings from multiple Chinese Benevolent Associations, sued the US Federal Government. And his lawyers were Thomas Riordan, who often represented Chinese clients in immigration cases, and William M. Stewart, who once was Attorney General of California.
Look Tin Eli won. This ruling also established the precedent that native-born person is a US citizen, regardless of race or ancestry, and this would soon set another landmark case, the 1898 "Won Kim Ark" case at the US Supreme Court, that forever cemented the birthright citizenship belonged to all.
Before the Fire
In the 1890s Look Tin Eli, then married to a Chinese-born wife, moved to San Francisco. With full bilingual fluency and training as a merchant from his father, he became a prosperous merchant himself. When he realized American banks don't lend money to Chinese Americans, he founded Canton Bank of San Francisco, along with his brother and another rich Chinese businessman, to make sure Chinese merchants have the right funds to grow.
Rebuilding Chinatown
After the 1906 Earthquake and fire leveled Chinatown, Look Tin Eli became the face of rebuilding Chinatown, fighting the forces that wanted to push Chinatown out of its "downtown" location. Then mayor, Eugene Schmitz, had already formed a committee looking into permanent relocation of Chinatown. Look Tin Eli convinced the Chinese Americans, esp. the merchants, to adopt a united front, convinced merchants to threaten to move to nearby port cities such as Oakland, Seattle, and so on. City officials, realizing they stand to lose a large portion of trade with China and the rest of Orient, finally relented and let Chinatown stay where it was.
Look Tin Eli secured backing from partners in Hong Kong and China, then hired American architects T. Patterson Ross and A W Burgren (Ross and Burgren) to start rebuilding Chinatown. Tsing Chong building at the corner of Grant and California, were the first rebuilt in Chinatown. Neither architect had been to China, but both managed to produced something evocative of China, probably inspired by some Tang-dynasty reference books (which is ancient Chinese history). Tsing Chong was finished and reopened at Chinese New Year of 1908, less than 2 years after the Earthquake, proving to the city and the world... Chinatown is back, and Chinatown is here to stay. This new Chinatown, with the faux-Oriental facade, became the model of all other Chinatowns. Tsing Fat was finished a few years later in 1915 by a different owner... with the same architects.
Late Career
In 1915, Pacific Mail Steamship Company stopped service to the Orient, ostensibly to help move cargo to Europe to help the allies in WW1. This prompted Look Tin Eli and a group of Chinese-American businessmen to organize the China Mail Steamship Company, the first Chinese-owned steamship company in the US. Back then they were using side-paddle steamships, and the only other ships going to the Orient would be the Japanese steamship lines.
However, his business success had also attracted the attention of the Tong, the gangs of Chinatown. The reconstruction of Chinatown had left them no place to go, and they took out their dying anger on the business magnate with death threats. The gang threat caused financial difficulties. When one of the directors was shot, Look Tin Eli went into hiding, and left secretly for Hong Kong, Look Tin Eli died in 1919 in Hong Kong, under mysterious circumstances.
Legacy
After death of Look Tin Eli, neither businesses lasted very long. Canton Bank of San Francisco was in financial trouble by 1923 and was closed by Superintendent of Banks in 1926.
The China Mail Steamship Company also went under in 1926 as it was primarily bankrolled by the Canton Bank of San Francisco.
However, Bank of Canton, and later Bank of Canton of California took on the mantle of being a bank for Chinese Americans. And after a few mergers, they are known as east/west bank today.
And of course, Look Tin Eli's court victory still stands today.
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