27 February 2009
President Obama Nominates Chinese American to Commerce Post
Gary Locke previously served as governor of the state of Washington
Washington — Chinese-American Gary Locke is President Obama’s choice to head the U.S. Department of Commerce. If confirmed by the Senate, he will be the third Asian American in the Cabinet.
Locke, formerly the governor of Washington state, is “the right man for this job,” Obama said when he announced Locke’s nomination February 25. He was the first Chinese American elected as chief executive of a U.S. state.
The prospective secretary of commerce “knows the American dream,” Obama said. Locke’s grandfather came to the United States from China speaking no English and took a job as a housekeeper in exchange for English lessons at a home just less than a mile (1.6 kilometers) from where Locke later lived in the governor’s mansion.
“It took our family 100 years to move that one mile, a journey possible only in America,” Locke said.
“My family’s story is America’s story,” Locke said. “Our story is just one of hundreds of millions, since the birth of our nation, of people coming from every part of the world, in pursuit of the American dream of freedom, hope and opportunity.”
Locke grew up in a Seattle public housing project for families of World War II veterans like his father. He worked in his parents’ grocery store and with the help of funds he saved from part-time jobs and scholarships, he attended Yale University. Locke later received a law degree from Boston University and served as a prosecutor before being elected to the Washington state House of Representatives.
Because Locke has lived the “American dream,” Obama said, “he shares my commitment to do whatever it takes to keep it alive in our time.”
Among its many duties, the Commerce Department is responsible for promoting business and industry within the United States and facilitating international trade.
His experience as governor prepared Locke well for these duties, Obama said, noting that as governor, Locke encouraged state businesses to create new jobs in science and technology, agriculture and energy. He also helped create “favorable markets abroad” for Washington state businesses to sell their products, the president said.
Locke will be a “trusted voice in my Cabinet, a tireless advocate for our economic competitiveness and an influential ambassador for American industry who will help us … promote our industry around the world,” Obama said.
The Asian Americans currently serving in Obama’s Cabinet are Eric Shinseki, secretary of veteran affairs, and Steven Chu, secretary of energy. The president’s Cabinet picks include two Republicans, five women, two Hispanics, three African Americans and an Arab American.
Locke is Obama’s third nominee for secretary of commerce. The first two, New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson and New Hampshire Senator Judd Gregg, withdrew for personal reasons.
For additional information about the executive branch, see “The Cabinet.”
