美国首位华裔州务卿余江月桂逝世

Described as “California’s Henry Kissinger”, March Fong Eu, who served as California’s first female Secretary of State and later as U.S. ambassador to Micronesia, died at the age of 95 on December 21, 2017.

余江月桂被称为“加州的亨利.基辛格”，曾担任加州的第一位女国务卿，后来又任美国驻密克罗尼西亚联邦大使，她于2017年12月21日逝世，享年95岁。

Spokeswoman Caren Lagomarsino told media that Eu died in Irvine, California, from complications following a fall and subsequent surgery.

女发言人卡伦?拉马西诺告诉媒体，余江月桂摔倒，接受手术后因并发症在加州尔湾逝世。

March Fong Eu was born on March 29, 1922 in the central California town of Oakdale. Her parents ran a hand laundry business. In spite of her impoverished upbringing, Eu went on to earn degrees from UC Berkeley, Mills College, and Stanford. Eu was a dental hygienist and educator who became interested in politics while serving as president of the American Dental Hygienists Association.

1922年3月29日，余江月桂于出生于加州中部的奥克戴尔镇。她的父母开着一家手工洗衣店。尽管出身贫困，余江月桂仍先后从加州大学伯克利分校、米尔斯大院和斯坦福大学获得学位。她曾是一名牙科保健师和教育家，后来在担任美国牙科保健师协会会长期间对政治产生了兴趣。

Eu was best known for her successful campaign to ban pay toilets in public buildings during late 1960s and early 1970s, arguing that urinals were often free, which she argued was discriminatory. Her work on the issue helped earn her support in her run to become Secretary of State.

余江月桂最为人称道的举措，是在20世纪60年代末70年代初禁止加州公共建筑物的厕所收费。她认为男厕通常免费，而妇女使用厕所要付费是一种歧视。她在厕所问题上的成就帮助她赢得竞选，成为州务卿。

Eu served four terms as a Democratic state assemblywoman representing the Oakland area before becoming California’s chief elections officer in 1975. She held that position until 1994 when President Bill Clinton named her ambassador to the Pacific nation of Micronesia.

在余江月桂1975年成为加州州务卿之前，她还曾连任四届代表奥克兰地区的民主党州议员。直到1994年，克林顿总统委任她为驻太平洋国家密克罗尼西亚大使。

Current governor of California Jerry Brown said on Friday that Eu was a pioneering woman who helped open doors to public service for more women and Asian Americans.

加州现任州长杰瑞.布朗在12月22日称赞她是帮助更多女性和亚裔打开公共服务大门的先驱。