Louisa Benson Craig
{{Distinguish|Louisa Benson}}
{{Short description|Burmese Heroine (1941–2010)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2024}}
{{Infobox person
| honorific_prefix =
| name = Louisa Benson Craig
| native_name =
| image =
| alt =
| caption =
| birth_name =
| birth_date = {{birth-date|10 March 1941}}
| birth_place = Rangoon, British Burma
| death_date = {{death-date and age|2 February 2010|10 March 1941}}
| death_place = Los Angeles, California
| resting_place =
| nationality ={{flagicon|Kayin}} -Karen
| known_for = Miss Burma
| occupation =
| spouse = Lin Htin (1964-1965)
Glenn Craig (1967-)
| children = 3
| relatives =
| alma_mater = Tufts University
Columbia University
| awards = Miss Burma 1956(Winner) ,Miss Burma 1958(Miss Universe Myanmar 1958)(Winner)
| url =
}}
Louisa Charmaine Benson Craig (sometimes spelled Luisa Benson; 10 March 1941 – 2 February 2010) was a Burmese-born two-time beauty pageant winner and Karen rebel leader of Jewish and Karen ancestry.
Early life and education
Louisa Charmaine Benson was born to Saw Benson (also known as Moses Ben-Zion Koder), a Jewish entrepreneur in Rangoon, and his wife Naw Chit Khin, a Karen woman.{{cite book|last=Cernea|first=Ruth Fredman|title=Almost Englishmen: Baghdadi Jews in British Burma|publisher=Lexington Books|year=2007|pages=117–118|isbn=9780739116463}} He was descended on his father's side from the Koder family, a prominent Cochin Jewish business clan in South India's Cochin (now Kochi), and on his mother's side from the Leynado family, a Sephardic Jewish family. Orphaned as a child, Koder was sent to Calcutta to be raised by aunts. He later converted to Christianity. In 1939, after returning to Rangoon, he married.
During World War II, Louisa's parents were separated for lengthy periods as they tried to find safety from the Japanese occupation of Burma. After the war, the independence movement and Karen movement for autonomy resulted in more societal disruption. Louisa went to the United States for college.
Later, she returned to Myanmar where Kokang "war-lady" Olive Yang pursued her romantically but relented when Olive's brother was interested in Louisa.{{cite book|last=Thant Myint-U|title=The River of Lost Footsteps|publisher=Macmillan|date=8 January 2008|pages=298–299}} She then returned to Karen State, becoming involved in the Karen National Liberation Army. She left the country for the United States in 1967, after marrying a former classmate and U.S. naval officer Glenn Campbell Craig.
Marriage and career
Benson returned to Karen State and in 1964 married Lin Htin, a commander of the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA).{{cite news|url=http://www2.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=17739|title=Louisa Benson Craig Dies Aged 69|author=Saw Yan Naing|date=4 February 2010|publisher=The Irrawaddy|accessdate=8 April 2012|archive-date=21 December 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141221192322/http://www2.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=17739|url-status=dead}} He died in 1965, and she led the Fifth Brigade. She fell out with the Karen National Union leadership following a power struggle with Bo Mya.{{cite book|last=Tzamg Yawnghwe|title=The Shan of Burma: Memoirs of a Shan Exile|publisher=Institute of Southeast Asian Studies|year=1987|pages=202–203|isbn=9789971988623}}
As a "Most Wanted" independence warrior leader, Benson was urged by her people in 1967 to flee Burma to save her life. She emigrated to the United States by marrying Glenn Campbell Craig, a former classmate from her overseas studies at Tufts University. A scion of a Mayflower family, Craig had reconnected with her as a U.S. Naval officer after being assigned to Asian waters near Karen State.
After emigrating, Louisa Benson Craig earned a master's degree in international affairs at Columbia University. She worked as an advocate for Burmese democracy and for resettlement of Burmese refugees in the United States.{{cite news|url=http://laorganizers4burma.blogspot.com/2010/03/naw-louisa-benson-craig.html|title=Naw Louisa Benson Craig (သို့) တာဝန်ကျေခဲ့သူ တယောက်|date=2 March 2010|publisher=LA Organizers for Burma|accessdate=9 April 2012}} In 2004, she was named a plaintiff in a landmark human rights case against Unocal for profiting from the Burmese military's alleged human rights abuses by operating the Yadana gas field.{{cite news|url=http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20040601/A_NEWS/306019976|title=Former actress joins lawsuit|date=1 June 2004|publisher=AP|accessdate=9 April 2012}}
Louisa had three children with Glenn Craig. After his naval career, he became an entrepreneur, helping found an international school publications enterprise based in California.
References
{{reflist}}
{{Miss Universe 1958 delegates}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Craig, Louisa Benson}}
Category:American people of Anglo-Burmese descent
Category:American people of Burmese-Jewish descent
Category:People of Karen descent
Category:American people of Portuguese-Jewish descent
Category:Burmese beauty pageant winners
Category:Burmese emigrants to the United States
Category:Burmese people of Portuguese-Jewish descent