Gary Locke

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Gary Locke (2009)

Gary Faye Locke (born January 21, 1950 in Seattle , Washington ) is an American diplomat and politician of the Democratic Party . He was governor of Washington state from 1997 to 2005 and the first governor of Chinese descent in US history. From March 24, 2009 to August 1, 2011, he was a member of Barack Obama's cabinet as Secretary of Commerce of the United States ; He was then US Ambassador to the People's Republic of China until February 21, 2014 .

Early years

As usual with Americans of Chinese descent, Gary Locke also received a Chinese name from his parents: Luò Jiāhuī ( Chinese  駱家輝  /  骆家辉 ). He studied at Yale University , where he received his bachelor's degree in 1972 , and then the Boston University School of Law, where he graduated in 1975 with a law degree. He has been married to television journalist Mona Lee Locke since 1994. The couple has three children. Gary Locke is a Baptist .

Political career

Locke was elected to the Washington House of Representatives in 1982 . In 1993 he was elected district administrator in King County , which is also located in Seattle. In 1996 he was named a candidate for governor in the Democratic Party primary, and eventually won the gubernatorial election.

Washington governor

Gary Locke took up his new position on January 15, 1997. After being re-elected in 2000, he was able to serve until January 12, 2005. At the beginning of his term of office he devoted himself particularly to education policy, the promotion of economic development, the improvement of traffic and transport routes and the reform of the administration, which should be better geared to the needs of the citizens. The recession that started in 2001 brought this development to a standstill. The governor has now proposed budget savings that have gone as far as freezing salaries. The austerity measures also affected schools and health care. That led to a loss of popularity. Still, in January 2003, Locke was selected to deliver the televised Democratic response to President George W. Bush's State of the Union Address . In July 2003, he announced that he would not run for governor in 2004 for another term. The official reason he gave was to want to spend more time with his family. According to a Seattle Post-Inquirer article , threats against Locke and his family may also have played a role in the decision.

Another résumé

After his tenure ended, Locke became a lawyer with a large Seattle law firm . In the 2008 presidential campaign, he supported Hillary Clinton.

On February 25, 2009, US President Obama nominated him as the new US Secretary of Commerce. The previously named as candidates Bill Richardson and Judd Gregg had resigned from the office. The US Senate upheld this on March 24, 2009 without a dissenting vote.

After the previous ambassador to the People's Republic of China, Jon Huntsman , announced his resignation, Gary Locke was named by President Obama as his successor on March 9, 2011. Following his approval by the Senate on July 27, 2011, which was unanimous, he resigned his ministerial office three days later and took up his new post, becoming the first Chinese-born US ambassador to Beijing . As a candidate to succeed him as prime among others were trade representatives of the United States , Ron Kirk , and ex- Google - CEO Eric Schmidt acted before Obama 31 May 2011 John Bryson presented as a future trade minister. Until its approval by the Senate, Rebecca Blank , previously Locke's deputy, was provisional in charge of the ministry. On October 21, 2011, Bryson took over the office of Minister of Commerce after the Senate's approval with 74:26 votes.

Locke remained US Ambassador to the People's Republic of China until February 2014; in this post he was followed by the former US Senator Max Baucus .

Web links

Commons : Gary Locke  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Susan Paynter: Threats to Locke's family are a factor in third-term decision , Seattle Post-Inquirer, July 25, 2003, accessed online July 28, 2008.
  2. ↑ FAZ of February 26, 2009, p. 16: Gary Locke becomes Minister of Economic Affairs .
  3. ^ CNN.com: Senate confirms Locke to Commerce
  4. ↑ Wall Street Journal: Senate Confirms Locke as US Ambassador to China (July 28, 2011)
  5. ↑ Reuters: Obama chooses Gary Locke as new ambassador to China
  6. ↑ New York Times: Obama Nominates Bryson for Commerce Secretary (May 31, 2011)
  7. ^ Ed O'Keefe: Max Baucus Confirmed as US Ambassador to China. In: The Washington Post , February 6, 2014, accessed May 12, 2014.
personal data
SURNAME Locke, Gary
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Locke, Gary Faye; Luò Jiāhuī
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American diplomat and politician
DATE OF BIRTH January 21, 1950
PLACE OF BIRTH Seattle , Washington