James Soong

Soong Chu-yu
宋楚瑜
Official portrait, 2016
1st Chairman of the People First Party
Incumbent
Assumed office 31 March 2000
Deputy	Chang Chau-hsiung
Preceded by	Position established
Senior Advisor to the President
In office 9 November 2016 – 2 May 2019
President	Tsai Ing-wen
1st Governor of Taiwan Province
In office 20 December 1994 – 20 December 1998
Deputy	Lin Fong-cheng Lai In-jaw
Preceded by	Position established[a]
Succeeded by	Position abolished
14th Chairman of the Provincial Government
In office 20 March 1993 – 20 December 1994
Appointed by	Executive Yuan
Prime Minister	Lien Chan
Preceded by	Lien Chan
Succeeded by	Chao Shou-po
Minister of the Government Information Office
In office 25 January 1979 – 24 August 1984
Prime Minister	Sun Yun-suan
Preceded by	Ting Mao-shih
Succeeded by	Chang King-yuh
Personal details
Born	(1942-04-30) 30 April 1942 (age 82) Xiangtan, Hunan, Republic of China
Political party	People First Party (2000–) Kuomintang (1981–1999)[1] Independent (1999–2000)
Spouse	Viola Chen (1968–2011)
Education	National Chengchi University (LLB) University of California, Berkeley (MA) Catholic University of America (MS) Georgetown University (PhD)
Military service
Branch/service	ROC Military Police
Years of service	1964–1966
Rank	Second Lieutenant
Chinese name
Chinese	宋楚瑜
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Sòng Chǔyú Wade–Giles Sung4 Ch'u3-yü2 IPA [sʊ̂ŋ ʈʂʰù.y̌] Southern Min Hokkien POJ Sòng Chhó-jû Tâi-lô Sòng Tshó-jû

Soong Chu-yu (Chinese: 宋楚瑜; pinyin: Sòng Chǔyú; born 30 April 1942), also known by his English name James Soong, is a Taiwanese political scientist and politician who is the founder and chairman of the People First Party. Soong was the first and only elected governor of Taiwan Province from 1994 and 1998, after which he became a perennial candidate in Taiwanese politics.

Born in China to a Kuomintang military family, Soong graduated from National Chengchi University and was educated in the United States, where he earned his PhD in political science from Georgetown University. He began his political career as a secretary to Premier Chiang Ching-kuo and rose to prominence as director-general of the Government Information Office (GIO) from 1979 to 1984. Upon Chiang's death, Soong was instrumental in silencing conservatives in the KMT from blocking the ascendancy of Lee Teng-hui as KMT leader. From 1994 to 1998, he was the only elected governor of Taiwan Province.

After failing to gain the KMT nomination, Soong ran as an independent in the 2000 presidential election. Though he placed second, his candidacy split the pan-Blue vote between himself and the KMT candidate, Vice President Lien Chan, leading to the victory of DPP candidate Chen Shui-bian. In the 2004 presidential election, he ran as vice president on the ticket of Lien Chan; they narrowly lost to Chen Shui-bian. Soong ran again as a candidate in the 2012 presidential race, garnering 2.77% of popular support. Soong's third presidential campaign in 2016 formed a split ticket with Minkuotang chairwoman Hsu Hsin-ying and won 12.84% of the vote. His 2020 campaign with running mate Sandra Yu finished last, with 4.2% of the vote.^[2]

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