Born:
Died: 1976

CHARLES QUIN CHU
Mayor of Chinatown

"The title "Mayor" is actually one which other St. Louisans have conferred upon whoever was the local Chinese leader, but this unofficial Mayor in reality wielded great power in his small province."
-St. Louis Globe-Democrat

St. Louis's Chinatown housed a special organization called the On Leong Merchants and Laborers Association. They had their own businesses, celebrations and religious affiliations. While St. Louis's Chinatown did send their children to the dominant culture's schools, they also held special classes to retain their own language in the following generations. Like Chinatowns across the nation, St. Louis's Chinatown wanted to retain autonomy from the dominant culture. At first this need stemmed from fear and mistrust between the opposing cultures, but it was retained because of tradition. One piece of evidence of this autonomy was the position of "Mayor of Chinatown." In the 1950s, Charles Quin Chu held this prestigious office.

Known to other St. Louisans as Charles Quinn, Quin Chu had been the president of the On Leong Merchants and Laborers Association during the 1940s, and then held office with the National Association for some time before taking office as the Mayor of Chinatown. He held this position for almost 10 years. In addition to holding the office of Mayor, Chu also owned and operated the Canton Tea Garden and Shanghai Restaurant. The public referred to Chu's family as the "First Family" (much like we refer to the President of the United States' family). Chu died in 1976.

It is unclear as to why the office of Mayor ceased to exist, but by 1957 it was reported that there was no longer a "Mayor" of Chinatown. It was also during the 1950s that other prominent figures began to emerge as a leader in Chinatown. One such leader was Annie Leong, operator of the Asia Restaurant.