Locke, Gary, 1950–, American politician and government official, b. Seattle. The son and grandson of Chinese immigrants, he graduated from Yale (B.A., 1972) and Boston Univ. Law School (J.D., 1975). He was elected to the Washington house of representatives as a Democrat in 1982, and 11 years later he became King co. chief executive. In 1996 he was elected governor of Washington, becoming the first Chinese-American to win a U.S. governorship; he was reelected in 2000. Locke was particularly active in garnering international trade for the state and, after leaving office, became a partner in an international law firm, where he was co-chair of the firm's China practice. In 2009 President Obama appointed Locke secretary of commerce; he served as ambassador to China from 2011 to 2014.
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