Juliana Young Koo

Juliana Young Koo, born Yen Yu-yun (Chinese: 嚴幼韻; September 26, 1905 – May 24, 2017), was a Chinese-American diplomat who worked in the UN Protocol Department.[1] Her first husband, Chinese diplomat Clarence Kuangson Young was assassinated by Japanese imperial forces during World War II. She became the long-term mistress for the diplomat and politician V.K. Wellington Koo, long before her husband's death. After the war, she moved to the United States, in 1956 Koo divorced his wife and married her.

Juliana Young Koo
Born
Yen Yu-yün

(1905-09-26)September 26, 1905
Tianjin, China
Died(2017-05-24)May 24, 2017
(aged 111 years, 240 days)
New York City, US
Resting placeFerncliff Cemetery and Mausoleum
NationalityRepublic of China
Other namesJuliana Young Yen Koo
OccupationDiplomat
Spouses
Clarence Kuangson Young
​
​
(m. 1929; died 1942)​
    ​
    ​
    (m. 1959; died 1985)​
    Children3, including Shirley Young
    Chinese name
    Traditional Chinese嚴幼韻
    Simplified Chinese严幼韵
    In this Chinese name, the family name is Yan.

    Early life

    On September 26, 1905, Koo was born into a wealthy family with business and government ties in Tianjin, China as Yen Yu-yün (or Yan Youyun). Her father Yan Zijun (1872–1931) and her grandfather Yan Xinhou (1838–1907) were both prominent businessmen, her mother was a concubine, although she claimed her mother was her father's second wife, her father's first wife passed away in 1919, and there was no record that her mother became her father's wife. She attended Keen School at the same year.[2]

    She was one of the first women to graduate from Fudan University. At university, a special car took her to campus and brought her back, since its number was 84, the male students nicknamed her "Miss 84".[3]

    Marriages and career

    She married Clarence Kuangson Young Chinese: 楊光泩; pinyin: Yáng Guāngshēng; Wade–Giles: Yang Kuang-sheng) on September 6, 1929. In the 1930s, she became the mistress of Chinese diplomat V.K. Wellington Koo (Chinese: 顧維鈞). The scandal resulted in Young's being transferred to the Chinese consul general in Manila from 1939 to 1942. Young was arrested by the Japanese during World War II and executed on April 17, 1942 together with 7 consulate staff.[4] After the death of her husband, she took her three daughters to the U.S and became Koo's mistress again. Per Koo's arrangement, she worked at the United Nations in New York.[5] In 1956, Koo divorced his wife and married her in September 1959.[3]

    Children

    Koo had three daughters with Clarence Young: Genevieve, Shirley, and Frances.

    Geneviene Young (1930–2020) was a book editor most known for Love Story by Erich Segal. She was married to Cedric Sun and Gordon Parks (from 1973 to 1979). Both marriages ended in divorce, but she and Parks remained close until Parks' death in 2006. She helped establish the Gordon Parks Foundation after Parks' death and continued to oversee the foundation and Parks' estate until her death in February 2020.[6][7]

    Shirley Young (1935–2020) was a prominent business executive for Grey Advertising and General Motors. She was married to George Hsieh and Norman Krandall. Both marriages ended in divorce. She died in December 2020 and was survived by three sons (all with Hsieh) and seven grandchildren.[8][9]

    Frances Young (1940–1992) was a philanthropist and preservationist.[10] She was married to Oscar Tang (son of Tang Ping-yuan). In 2000, Tang gave $10.2 million for the Frances Young Tang Teaching Museum and Art Gallery at Frances' alma mater Skidmore College.[11][12] A gallery at the Metropolitan Museum of Art is also named after her.[13]

    Autobiography

    She released her autobiography titled 109 Springtimes: My Story in 2015.[14] On September 26, 2015, Koo became a supercentenarian, when she reached the age of 110 years.[15]

    According to her the secret to her longevity was eating foie gras, beef, pork belly and "as much butter as you like." She also advised against exercise and vegetables. She also suggested regular bouts of mahjong, a game she liked to play.[16]

    Personal life

    On May 24, 2017 (more than 75 years after her first husband's execution), Koo died in Manhattan, New York City, New York. She was 111 years, 240 days old.[1]

    References
    1. Barron, James (June 8, 2017). "Juliana Young Koo, Chinese Immigrant Who Published Her Life Story at 104, Dies at 111". The New York Times. Archived from the original on November 16, 2018. Retrieved June 11, 2017.
    2. Wang Ruifeng, Jin Wan Bao (2015-09-21). "The legendary life of Tianjin-born diplomat Juliana Young Koo". investinchina.com. Archived from the original on 2017-06-04. Retrieved 2017-05-12.
    3. Young, Shirley. "名媛严幼韵的109个春天". history.people.com.cn (in Chinese). Retrieved May 26, 2017.
    4. He and his staff were later memorialized in the Manila Chinese Cemetery, where they were massacred and buried (later exhumed and solemnly buried in Chrysanthemum Terrace Park (菊花台), Nanjing). They are collectively called the "Nine Diplomat Martyrs of the Anti-Japan Resistance" (抗日外交九烈士; the 9th diplomat was from North Borneo, who also suffered from Japanese brutality).
    5. Liu Zhihua (2015-05-20). "Story of a century". China Daily. Archived from the original on 2018-05-29. Retrieved 2017-05-10.
    6. "Genevieve Young, editor who helped shape 'Love Story' and other books, dies at 89". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Archived from the original on 2021-03-05. Retrieved 2021-07-12.
    7. "Longtime editor Genevieve Young left legacy in publishing". ABC News. Archived from the original on 2021-07-12. Retrieved 2021-07-12.
    8. Risen, Clay (2021-01-03). "Shirley Young, Businesswoman and Cultural Diplomat to China, Dies at 85". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 2021-02-03. Retrieved 2021-07-12.
    9. Hagerty, James R. (2020-12-28). "Shirley Young, Former GM Vice President, Dies at 85". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Archived from the original on 2021-07-12. Retrieved 2021-07-12.
    10. Pace, Eric (1992-02-04). "Frances Tang, 53; Was Philanthropist and Preservationist". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 2021-07-12. Retrieved 2021-07-12.
    11. Cotter, Holland (2000-12-22). "ART REVIEW; Party Time: Inside and Out, Playful Wit Reigns at Skidmore's New Museum". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 2021-07-12. Retrieved 2021-07-12.
    12. "Tang honors its namesake with special day". www.skidmore.edu. Archived from the original on 2021-07-12. Retrieved 2021-07-12.
    13. "Spectrum Spotlight—China: Through the Looking Glass | the Metropolitan Museum of Art". www.metmuseum.org. Archived from the original on 2021-07-12. Retrieved 2021-07-12.
    14. Lun Xiaoxuan (2015-05-18). "顾严幼韵口述自传在京发布 周明伟出席发布会[组图]" (in Chinese). China Network. Archived from the original on 2020-12-06. Retrieved 2017-04-27.
    15. Hong Xiao (2015-09-27). "Author and wife of diplomat celebrates 110th birthday". China Daily. Archived from the original on 2017-04-27. Retrieved 2017-04-27.
    16. Mimi Sheraton (2016-12-10). "111-Year-Old's Secret Foie Gras Diet". The Daily Beast. Archived from the original on 2017-04-27. Retrieved 2017-04-27.
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