Although not often recognized, Margaret Chung pierced the veil of conformity for both
Asian Americans and women in the United States. Through her achievements in the medical field and resistance to societal barriers, Chung proved that race, sexuality, and gender were not limitations by succeeding as a physician and surgeon in a male-dominated field.
Despite initially disguising herself to match her male counterparts and being treated like an outsider, she created a network of clients by taking advantage of misconceptions created about her, as well as providing security to those who resonated with her identity. She also played a great role in World War II as motherly-figure to American pilots, sailors, and airmen, eventually gaining fame and media coverage for her patriotism. Although she faced prejudice throughout her life, Chung paved the way for future generations of women and Asian Americans through her unprecedented ascent to success.
Motivation in the Face of Adversity
Born in 1889 in Santa Barbara, California to two immigrant parents from China, Margaret Samantha Chung was the oldest of eleven children. Her desire to study and learn was driven by her mother, who at the age of about 11 was rescued from a brothel in San Francisco by Presbyterian Missionaries and provided an education. Her father was a physician who studied in China, but died when he was refused healthcare at a hospital after a car crash. This event, combined with a preexisting interest in medicine and desire to help others, inspired 11 year old Chung to declare becoming a medical missionary her life goal. Even as a young child, having no toys to play with, Chung would often choose to “operate” on banana peels or cabbage stems. In her autobiographical notes she herself stated, “My first love was surgery.”
Margaret Chung attended both college and medical school at the University of Southern California, making her one of the few women, and even fewer Asian American, to earn a medical degree at the time. As a medical student, Chung dressed up in masculine clothes and referred to herself as “Mike”, hoping to decrease the prejudice she faced and receive an equal opportunity at education as if she were a man.
After graduating, Dr. Chung applied to be a medical missionary, but was rejected for her race by the Presbyterian missionary board. She did not let this discourage her, as after several years of completing internships and residencies in surgery and psychiatry in Chicago, she returned to California after applying for a medical license. She took a position at the Santa Fe Railroad Hospital in Los Angeles, where she specialized in plastic surgery and even had patients who were Hollywood celebrities. She soon became very well-known, and was finally able to purchase her own home.
Breaking Through Barriers
In the early 1920s, Dr. Chung moved to San Francisco and opened a clinic in Chinatown with the intention of helping Chinese women patients. Since many of the residents of this area were skeptical of Western medicine and suspicious of Chung’s masculine clothes, she was treated as an outsider. Not only this, but rumors regarding her sexuality were spread, saying she was lesbian.
While many non-Chinese patients were attracted to her practice, looking for “exotic” Chinese medicine, there were also patients who chose her because of her accused sexuality. For example, Elsa Gidlow, a lesbian poet and journalist, chose Dr. Chung because she suspected her of being “a sister lesbian.” Although Chung had several romantic relationships with women, including Gidlow and other celebrities, as well as traveled outside of Chinatown to engage in the San Francisco queer culture, she never confirmed her sexuality.
In the 1930s, the Japanese invasion of China and the Sino-Japanese War increased American sympathy towards Chinese people. After being asked to help get a commission in the Chinese military by a US Navy Reserves ensign named Steven G. Bancroft and aware she didn’t have the ability, Chung invited Bancroft and his pilot friends to dinner at her home in San Francisco. This group was extremely compatible, leading to them eating dinner together almost every night and coming together for camping and hunting trips.
She increasingly became involved in war efforts and was even referred to as “Mom Chung” by United States’ Navy Pilots and naval officers. After volunteering to serve as a front-line surgeon during the Sino-Japanese War, she was asked to secretly recruit pilots from the Marines, Air Corps, and Navy to fly under Chinese colors. This unit was later famously recognized as the “Flying Tigers,” and marked a turning point in the integration between American and Chinese people.
A Mother to a Thousand Children?
By the end of World War II, Chung’s “family of adopted children” grew to over 1,500 including aviators such as Amelia Earhart, submarine men, servicemen, top military officials, Hollywood stars, and even politicians. She had an incredibly extensive network, and her home became a venue to parties and social events. She also supported her “sons” at the front-lines during World War II by sending them letters and gifts, as well as encouraging them to connect with each other.
Chung herself had previously wanted to enlist, but was denied because of her race and gender. She gathered the support of many of her “sons” to create and pass the legislation that would create the W.A.V.E.S. (Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service), the women’s branch of the United States Naval Reserve in WWII. The W.A.V.E.S. were established by congress and eventually signed into law by Franklin D. Roosevelt, but Chung herself still couldn’t enlist because of her Chinese ancestry and rumored sexuality.
Chung's Legacy
On January 5, 1959, Dr. Margaret Chung died from cancer. Her contributions to the country as a physician not only pierced the veil of discrimination against Asian Americans, women, and the queer community, but also provided comfort and affection for soldiers who were sacrificing their lives for the country. Despite facing countless obstacles during her education, rise to success, and even until her death, Margaret Chung left an extraordinary mark on history.
As the first Chinese American woman to become a physician after years of perseverance and hardship, she proved that abilities aren’t confined by race or gender. Unfortunately, her success is often unrecognized and underappreciated. Her name is rarely mentioned in history textbooks, or even in articles about World War II. Despite this, Chung’s success paved the way for future women and Asian Americans facing adversity to succeed just as she did, even in a white-male-dominated society.
Works Cited
Chhita, Nina. “Overlooked No More: Margaret Chung, Doctor Who Was 'Different From Others' (Published 2023).” The New York Times, 19 September 2023, https://www.nytimes.com/2023/09/18/obituaries/margaret-chung-overlooked.html. Accessed 30 January 2025.
Doubek, James. “The Flying Tigers: How a group of Americans ended up fighting for China in WW II.” NPR, 19 December 2021, https://www.npr.org/2021/12/19/1062091832/flying-tigers-americans-china-world-war-ii-history-japan. Accessed 30 January 2025.
“Dr. Margaret Chung | Rise Up for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders - Spotlight at Stanford.” Spotlight at Stanford, https://exhibits.stanford.edu/riseup/feature/dr-margaret-chung. Accessed 30 January 2025.
Wagner, Ella. “Dr. Margaret "Mom" Chung (U.S.” National Park Service, 6 November 2023, https://www.nps.gov/people/dr-margaret-mom-chung.htm. Accessed 30 January 2025.
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