| Liem Eng Tuai | |
| Office: | Judge of the King County Superior Court |
| Term Start: | 1977 |
| Term End: | April 1, 1996 |
| Office1: | President of the Seattle City Council |
| Term Start1: | 1972 |
| Term End1: | October 2, 1973 |
| Predecessor1: | Charles M. Carroll |
| Successor1: | Sam Smith |
| Office2: | Member of the Seattle City Council from District 4 |
| Term Start2: | May 19, 1969 |
| Term End2: | October 2, 1973 |
| Predecessor2: | Paul Jacob Alexander |
| Successor2: | George Benson |
| Birth Date: | 1925 |
| Birth Place: | Port Townsend, Washington |
| Death Place: | Seattle, Washington |
| Party: | Republican |
| Spouse: | Winnie Joyce Eng |
| Children: | 3 sons |
| Alma Mater: | University of Washington (BA, JD) |
Liem Eng Tuai (1925–2003) was a member of the Seattle City Council from 1969 to 1973. In 1977, he was appointed a judge in the King County Superior Court and served until 1996.
Tuai was born in Port Townsend, Washington in 1925, the son of working-class Chinese immigrants.[1] [2] [3] He dropped out of Bremerton High School to work at Boeing as a machinist and at the family restaurant.[1] [2] [3] He then joined the US Air Force in Japan from 1946 to 1950 as a photographer and finished high school while in the military.[1] [2] After serving in the military, Tuai used the G.I. Bill to enroll in the University of Washington, earning his bachelor's degree in 1954 and Juris Doctor in 1956.[1] [2]
In 1958, Tuai was hired in the King County Attorney's Office as a deputy prosecuting attorney, the first Chinese-American to hold this position.[1] [2] [4] He would also hold a position in the General Services Administration and work as a private attorney.[2]
In May 1969, councilmember Paul Jacob Alexander died of a sudden heart attack while at a conference in Washington, D.C..[5] On May 19, 1969, Tuai, a Republican, was appointed to fill the seat to preserve the political makeup of the council.[3] He would become the second Chinese-American to serve on the city council after Wing Luke.[2] [3] Tuai ran for the full term and in the November general election Taui won in a landslide against W.G. Gordon, 74% to 26%.[6]
Tuai was a self-described moderate Republican who was fiscally conservative and pro-business.[1] He supported mandatory five-year sentences for drug dealing and opposed legislation requiring businesses to hire strikebreakers.[1]
During the groundbreaking for the Seattle Kingdome, Tuai and other city and county leaders faced protestors who said the Kingdome would harm the surrounding communities, including the Chinatown–International District.[7] [8] [9] the protestors accused Tuai of being a sellout and got into heated arguments with speakers while throwing mudballs at them.[7] [8] [9]
In 1972, Tuai was appointed council president and served until his resignation in 1973.[1] [10] On October 2, 1973, he resigned from the city council to run for mayor against incumbent Wesley C. Uhlman.[1] [10] In the November general election, Tuai lost to Uhlman, 51.3% to 48.6%.[6] [11] In 1974, he lost election for a seat on the Washington Supreme Court and in 1975 he would lose his election to rejoin the council to council member John Miller.[1] [6]
In 1972, Tuai was appointed by Governor Dixy Lee Ray to one of five newly created King County Superior Court positions.[1] [2] [3] He planned on retiring in 1995 but decided to retire in 1996 to help the county reduce the high caseload.[1] [2]
Tuai met his wife, Winnie Joyce Eng, in 1950 and were married five months later.[1] [2] They were married for 46 years until she died of lung cancer in 1997.[1] [2] They had three sons together.[2]
On March 2, 2003, Tuai died of lung cancer.[1] [2] [3]