Elected in a November 1965 special election, Chin was the first Asian American member of the Kentucky General Assembly.

[1] He won reelection to a full term in 1967 but was defeated in 1971 by Democrat Bill Quinlan.

[2] Richard Chin was the son of Ming Chin, a Chinese American immigrant and owner of the first Chinese restaurant in Louisville.

After his defeat, Richard worked in the office of the Jefferson County Property Value Administrator.

Chin died in December 2017 at 85 years old.