Qiu Changwei (Chinese: 邱昌渭; 16 October 1898 – 24 July 1956) was a Chinese-born politician. He began his political career in the Guangxi Provincial Government, then served on the National Political Assembly [zh] and Legislative Yuan. His tenure as Secretary-General to the President of the Republic of China between 1949 and 1950 saw the government relocate from mainland China to Taiwan. In Taiwan, Qiu was a member of the Civil Service Higher Examination Committee and Continental Liberation Planning and Research Committee [zh].

Qiu Changwei
邱昌渭
Portrait of Qiu published in 1937
Secretary-General to the President
In office
26 June 1949 – 20 March 1950
Preceded byWeng Wenhao
Succeeded byWang Shijie
Member of the Legislative Yuan
In office
20 May 1948 – June 1949
Preceded bymulti-member district
Succeeded bymulti-member district
ConstituencyHunan 3
Personal details
Born(1898-10-16)16 October 1898
Qing China
Died24 July 1956(1956-07-24) (aged 57)
Taiwan
NationalityRepublic of China
Political partyKuomintang
Alma materPomona College
Columbia University

Early life, education, and academic career

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Qiu was born on 18 October 1898, and could trace his ancestry to Zhijiang County in Hunan.[1]

 
Qiu as a graduate student, Columbia University Chinese Students Association

Qiu earned his Bachelor of Arts degree at Pomona College in 1923, and completed his Master of Arts in political science, followed by a doctorate in philosophy, both at Columbia University, in 1924 and 1928, respectively. Upon his return to China, Qiu became a professor at Northeastern University. He also taught at Tsinghua University, Peking University and Sun Yat-sen University. During his teaching career, he served as an adviser and secretariat of the Fourth Army Group of the National Revolutionary Army, as well as secretary-general of the Guangxi Provincial Government.[1][2]

Political career in China

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On 18 January 1932, Qiu was appointed Chief Secretary of Intelligence for the Nationalist government's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.[2][3] He resigned from the foreign ministry on 28 March of the same year.[4] On 2 October 1936, Qiu returned to the Guangxi Provincial Government as head of the provincial education ministry.[5] He was reassigned to lead the provincial civil affairs ministry on 24 June 1939.[6] From 11 August 1939, Qiu was a member of the Guangxi Examination Committee.[7] The following year, Qiu was a member of the Guangxi delegation to the National Assembly convened to consider Control Yuan appointments.[8] Qiu was dismissed from his position as leader of the provincial civil affairs ministry on 1 February 1943,[9] and formally resigned as a member of the Guangxi Provincial Government on 4 October 1943.[10] He was elected to the fourth term of the National Political Assembly [zh], which started on 23 April 1945, representing Hunan.[2]

On 3 October 1946, the Executive Yuan appointed Qiu to a district management committee.[11] Later that month, he became the deputy secretary-general of that body.[12] Qiu was elevated to lead the second inspectorate convened by the district management committee on 30 January 1947,[13] and resigned from the committee entirely on 21 February 1947.[14] He was elected to the First Legislative Yuan in the 1948 Chinese legislative election, representing Hunan's third district, a multi-member constituency.[1] During his tenure on the Legislative Yuan, Qiu was a member of the Foreign Affairs, National Defense, and Finance and Financial Affairs Committees.[1] From 26 June 1949, Qiu was Secretary-General to the President of the Republic of China. In July 1949, Qiu was to be succeeded on the Legislative Yuan by supplemental member Jiang Gu [zh], who did not report to assume the office.[15][16] Qiu submitted his resignation as presidential secretary-general on 20 March 1950.[17]

Later political career in Taiwan

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Qiu returned to public service on 19 August 1954, as an appointed member of the Civil Service Higher Examination Committee.[18] His second term on the committee began on 25 August 1955.[19] On 9 October 1954, Qiu was appointed secretary-general of the Continental Liberation Planning and Research Committee [zh].[20]

Qiu died in Taiwan on 24 July 1956.[1] A collection of Qiu's papers, complied during his tenure as presidential secretary-general, was donated to Columbia University Libraries in 2005.[2] One of his daughters, Chiu Kai-yun, became a United States citizen in 1965 and was the head librarian of the Library Company of the Baltimore Bar from 1976 to 2003, the second-longest tenured librarian since the library was founded in 1840.[21][22][23]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e 「邱昌渭先生傳略」,《國史館現藏民國人物傳記史料彙編》第17輯,第180頁
  2. ^ a b c d "Chiu, Chung-Wei correspondence, 1949-1950". Columbia University. Retrieved 14 February 2024.
  3. ^ 《國民政府公報》第980號
  4. ^ 《國民政府公報》第3號
  5. ^ 《國民政府公報》第2168號
  6. ^ 《國民政府公報》第165號
  7. ^ 《國民政府公報》第178號
  8. ^ 《國民政府公報》第223號
  9. ^ 《國民政府公報》第541號
  10. ^ 《國民政府公報》第611號
  11. ^ 《國民政府公報》第2640號
  12. ^ 《國民政府公報》第2656號
  13. ^ 《國民政府公報》第2736號
  14. ^ 《國民政府公報》第2755號
  15. ^ 檔號(全宗號/年度號/分類號/案次號):A301000000A/0038/B12415/12-1 全宗名:內政部 案名:湖南省立委邱昌渭註銷蔣固遞補案 檔案起迄日期:民國38年07月15日~民國55年03月11日 檔案產生者:內政部 媒體型式:紙本     數量︰1卷 典藏位置︰國家發展委員會檔案管理局 內容摘要:本案為內政部對立委名籍遞補與註銷之事宜,內容包括湖南省政府送該省第七區立委邱君如確任總統府秘書長,立委遺缺應由蔣君遞補案給內政部,立法院秘書長送邱君接任總統府秘書長,依法請辭立委職務一事送內政部,內政部轉送湖南省第七區立委邱君辭職照准,遺缺由蔣君遞補一事給湖南省政府、行政院及立法院秘書長,行政院准予備案。後於民國55年內政部送立委蔣君雖已遞補但未向立法院報到應予註銷名籍一事給行政院及立法院秘書處,立法院秘書長送該院淪陷大陸之委員蔣君雖經遞補迄未向立法院報到應予註銷名籍案給內政部,行政院准予備案。
  16. ^ 湖北省第七區立法委員蔣固,係遞補當選有案,但迄未向立法院報到,依法應視為辭職,註銷其名籍,(55)台統(一)義字第4408號(55.02.22),《總統府公報》第1726號
  17. ^ 《總統府公報》第248號
  18. ^ 《總統府公報》第524號
  19. ^ 《總統府公報》第630號
  20. ^ 《總統府公報》第539號
  21. ^ Stichel, Mark (2015). "Kai-Yun Chiu Remarks Delivered at the 175th Anniversary Celebration Library Company of the Baltimore Bar" (PDF). Library Company of the Baltimore Bar. Retrieved 14 February 2024.
  22. ^ Hyman, Mark (12 February 1996). "Baltimore Bar Library falls upon hard times Technology, economy whittle away at scarce resources; Legal affairs". Baltimore Sun. Retrieved 14 February 2024.
  23. ^ "Finishing a chapter". The Daily Record. 29 May 2003. Retrieved 14 February 2024. Alternate URL