Jue Joe's Pierce Arrow Car

(Click on picture to enlarge )

Jue Joe was all his life a simple man who was humble and avoided most luxuries even when he could afford them . He lived until his death in a one room cabin with a dirt floor . He did allow himself one special treat however:

"One day my father, San Tong, told me about Jue Joe's Pierce Arrow car. This was the only luxury that Jue Joe ever bought for himself. The 1932 or '33 Pierce Arrow towncar was black with chrome detailing. Its interior upholstery was red-tufted velvet and had a chauffer's seat separated by a glass window. There was a phone inlaid with Mother of Pearl that connected the chauffer to the passenger seat in the rear. And the Pierce Arrow model had two chrystal lamps on each side of the exterior front. Jue Joe was a pragmatist: With the Pierce Arrow's 125-horse power engine, he ripped out its backseat, he tied ropes to its back fender, and he used the car to uproot trees in order to clear his fields for cultivation- Auntie Soo Yin"

My Dad remembers that Jue Joe did not drive himself and was always chauffered. His chauffer was his grand nephew Chan Lum (Loon) who he had helped emigrate from China and who lived at the ranch .
More details on the Pierce- Arrow : (Thanks Uncle Ed , for the fine research and picture)
1932 Pierce-Arrow: "The name Pierce Arrow was one of the most recognized and respected names in the automobile industry. For 38 years the Pierce Arrow Motor Company of Buffalo, New York crafted some of the world's finest automobiles. In their time, Pierce Arrows could be found anywhere the rich and famous worked and played. For twenty years, Pierce Arrow was the official White House Presidential car. The company also supplied cars to the royal families of Japan, Persia, Saudi Arabia, Greece, and Belgium. Scores of congressmen, ambassadors, governors, entertainers and corporate executives chose Pierce Arrows." (Swope's Museum.)

Jue Joe's Pierce-Arrow Town Car was a A V12 4-door 7-passenger limousine. A divider window separated the chauffer's seat from the passenger's cab. The Pierce-Arrow's mascot was the famous Archer, and crystal headlamps were mounted atop the front fenders.