Gary Locke
President Obama officially nominated former two-time Washington Governor Gary Locke for Secretary of Commerce. Governor Locke was the first Chinese American governor in U.S. history and the first Asian American governor in the continental United States. Locke is the third Asian American nominated for the Obama Cabinet, joining Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki and Energy Secretary Steven Chu. Born into an immigrant family, Locke grew up in a public housing project for families of World War II veterans as a child. He was an Eagle Scout, and 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. As Secretary of Commerce, Lock will play a key role on the Administration’s economic team. He will be responsible for fostering and promoting the nation’s economic development at home. He will also be facing the challenges of the 2010 census, and will be in charge of the Economic Development Administration, which invests in locally-developed, regionally-based economic development initiatives that directly contribute to economic growth.
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