Quick Facts
LibraBiography
Juliana Young Koo, born Yan Youyun (Chinese: 嚴幼韻; September 26, 1905 – May 24, 2017), was a Chinese and American diplomat who worked in the UN Protocol Department.Her first husband, Chinese diplomat Yang Guangsheng (Kuangson Young) was executed by the Japanese during World War II. After the war, she moved to the United States and married the diplomat and politician V.K. Wellington Koo.
Early life
On September 26, 1905, Koo was born into a wealthy family with business and government ties in Tianjin, China as Yan Youyun (or Yen Yu-yün). Her father Yan Zijun (1872–1931) and her grandfather Yan Xinhou (1838–1907) were both prominent businessmen. She attended Keen School when she was 14.
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".
Marriages and career
She married Yang Guangsheng (or Clarence Kuangson Young; Chinese: 楊光泩; pinyin: Yáng Guāngshēng; Wade–Giles: Yang Kuang-sheng) on September 6, 1929. Yang, who served as the Chinese consul general in Manila from 1938–42, was arrested by the Japanese during World War II and executed on April 17, 1942 together with other consulate staff. After the death of her husband, she took care of more than 26 widows and children of the consulate staff. After the war, she took her three daughters to the U.S. She spent 10 years working at the United Nations in New York. In New York, she met Chinese diplomat V.K. Wellington Koo (Chinese: 顧維鈞) in 1952 and married him in September 1959.
Autobiography
She released her autobiography titled 109 Springtimes: My Story in 2015. On September 26, 2015, Koo became a supercentenarian, when she reached the age of 110 years.
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.
Personal life
On May 24, 2017, Koo died in Manhattan, New York City, New York. She was 111 years, 240 days.