Obama Appoints Gary Locke Commerce Secretary

Gary Locke: Commerce Secretary
February 23, 2009

Locke, the first Chinese-American governor in U.S. history, served two terms in Washington state from 1997 to 2005. He chose to step down to spend more time with his kids. However, ugly, racist threats against his family also played a factor in Locke's decision to not seek a third term. In 2003, a member of an extreme right-wing group was arrested for plotting to assassinate Gov. Locke.

Locke was a state co-chair of Hillary Clinton's campaign. "Gary was a visionary governor and he will be a tremendous asset to our campaign as we take our message of change across Washington," Clinton said in a prepared statement at the time. "I'm honored to have his support."

Earlier on Monday, Gov. Jennifer Granholm (D-MI) said she had heard Locke's name floated in a one-on-one conversation she had at the National Governors Association meeting.

From his official biography:

Born into an immigrant family on Jan. 21, 1950, Locke spent his first six years in Seattle's Yesler Terrace, a public housing project for families of World War II veterans. He worked in his father's grocery store, became an Eagle Scout and graduated with honors from Seattle's Franklin High School in 1968. Through a combination of part-time jobs, financial aid and scholarships, Locke attended Yale University, earning a bachelor's degree in political science in 1972.

Governor Locke with Mona Locke and their children Dylan and Emily After receiving his law degree from Boston University in 1975, he worked for several years as a deputy prosecutor in King County, prosecuting felony crimes. In 1982, Locke was elected to the Washington State House of Representatives, where he served on the House Judiciary and Appropriations committees, with his final five years spent as chairman of the House Appropriations Committee.

Prior to being elected governor, Locke served as chief executive of King County in 1993 and took on the issues and challenges facing Washington's largest city.

Locke and his wife, Mona Lee Locke, a former reporter for the NBC affiliate KING 5 television in Seattle, were married Oct. 15, 1994. The Lockes have three children--Emily, born in March 1997, Dylan, born in March 1999 and Madeline, born in November 2004.