IOWA LAW
First International Students
From Tungshan, China
Nai Hsin Chien
Nai Hsin Chien, his brother Nai Wen, and his father Shu Fan, were all U.S. educated lawyers. He transferred from Harvard Law to Iowa Law in 1932. It appears the transfer was to attend law school with his brother, Nai Wen.
Nai Hsin Chien, Iowa Law School identification photo, 1932. Photo: University of Iowa Law Library.
Tungshan, China to Iowa City = 6,515 miles (10,484 km)
From July to August 1930, Nai Hsin Chien sailed on the SS President Jefferson from Hong Kong to San Francisco. He travelled with his father, Shu Fan, to attend Harvard Law School. It was possible to send letters from the ship, though we do not know if he did.
Chinese & English Spelling
Translating anglicized names back to a Chinese spelling is difficult, as many Chinese characters have a similar pronunciation. We chose to spell our students’ names in Mandarin, the official language of China since the 1930s. However, it is likely, given where our students lived and worked, that they spoke Cantonese. Special thanks to Camilo Shao, Law Library Special Collections Research Assistant (Law and Finance, Class of 2024) and Shuwen Xu, Law Library Research Assistant (Law Class 2022), for their help with both translating and research.
Nai Hsin Chien Timeline
Click on image to view the full interactive timeline.
First Iowa Law Students from China
Between 1932 and 1933, Iowa Law hosted 4 students from China: brothers Nai Hsin Chien and Nai Wen Chien, Tze-Hsing Li, and Chiu Po Su. Each student studied at other law schools before or after Iowa Law. Nai Hsin Chien and Chiu Po Su both received their law degrees from Iowa Law in 1933.
Nai Wen Chien
June 24, 1906: Born in Tungshan, China (Canton Province).
1931: B.A. in Political Science from St. John’s University in Shanghai, China. Married to Inez Liao when he came to the U.S. for law school.
1932: In the top 25% of his class.
Sept. 1933: Transferred to University of Chicago Law School. He worked as a diplomat, practiced law, and taught both law and political science courses in China.
Sometime after 1968: Moved to the U.S.
Oct. 1977: Died and is buried in New York.
Photo: University of Iowa Law Library
Tze-Hsing Li
October 1, 1903: Born in Nanking, China.
1927: A.B. in Political Science from St. John’s University, Shanghai, China.
1931 - 1932: It appears he was in school at University of Michigan, but it is unknown whether he attended law school there.
September 1932: Registered at Iowa Law. He lived at 325 S. Capitol along with Chiu Po Su.
June 1933: Left Iowa Law.
The photo above is from the 1933 Hawkeye Yearbook.
Chiu Po Su
September 1, 1902: Born in Mancheng Hsien, China (Hopei Province).
1926: B.A. in Political Science from University of Hong Kong.
Feb. 1930: Sailed from Hong Kong on the Empress of Russia.
March 1, 1930: Arrived at Vancouver, Canada. Attended law school at University of Washington, University of Oregon, and University of Chicago.
October 1932: Registered at Iowa Law.
June 5, 1933: Received his J.D. from Iowa. He graduated in the top third of his class.
Photo: University of Iowa Law Library
Further Exploration
Photo Gallery: Iowa Law 1930s
The Chinese Students’ Alliance
