'Gary F. Locke', (; born January 21, 1950) was the Democratic governor of Washington (1997-2005), and the first Chinese American governor in United States history.

Contents

Background

Career

Leaving office

Footnotes

External links

Background

Locke was born in Seattle, Washington. As a third-generation Chinese American with paternal ancestry in Taishan, Guangdong Province, Locke is the second of five children of James (from the United States) and Julie Locke (from Hong Kong). He 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. He then went on to receive his law degree from the Boston University School of Law in 1975. Locke is an Eagle Scout and recipient of the Distinguished Eagle Scout Award from the Boy Scouts of America.^[1]
In 1994, he married Mona Lee Locke (李矇 Li Meng), a Seattle television reporter born to a father from Shanghai and a mother from Hubei. They have three children: Emily Nicole, Dylan James, and Madeline Lee. Locke is a Baptist.

Career

In 1982, his South Seattle district elected him to the Washington House of Representatives, where he served as chairman of the Appropriations Committee. Eleven years later, in 1993, he made history by becoming the first Chinese American to be elected King County's County Executive, defeating incumbent Tim Hill. In 1996, he won the primary and general elections for governor, becoming the first major Chinese American head of government in North America. He easily won reelection in the 2000 governor's race.
Democrats criticized Locke for embracing the Republican Party's no-new-taxes approach to dealing with Washington's budget woes, during and after the 2001 recession. Among his spending-reduction proposals were laying-off thousands of state employees; reducing health coverage; freezing most state employees' pay; and, cutting funding for nursing homes and programs for the developmentally disabled. In his final budget, Locke suspended two voter-passed, pro-school initiatives while cutting state education funding. That same state budget, though, had record-high allocations for construction projects.
On the national stage, Democrats saw Gary Locke as a rising star and a possible vice-presidential pick. He was chosen to give the Democrat's response to George W. Bush's 2003 State of the Union address. Meanwhile back at home, former Washington Supreme Court Justice Phil Talmadge announced his plans to challenge Locke (supported by the state's political left) in the 2004 primary. Talmadge ultimately ended his campaign early, though, for health reasons.

Leaving office

In a surprise move, Locke announced in July 2003 that he would not seek a third term, saying, "Despite my deep love of our state, I want to devote more time to my family." It was also speculated that he may be preparing a presidential bid for 2008. As of August 2007, he is not considering a bid for the office of President of the United States but says he will support the Democratic nominee.
Susan Paynter, a columnist at the ''Seattle Post-Intelligencer'', suggested that a factor in his decision to leave office after two terms was the racist threats and insults that he and his family received, a large number of which came after his rebuttal to George W. Bush's 2003 State of the Union address. An example of such an insult had read, "Why don't you and your family get on a boat and go back to China."
He left office on January 12, 2005. If the disputed 2004 election between Christine Gregoire and Dino Rossi had not been resolved by then, the state constitution mandated that Locke would have remained in office. Upon leaving Washington's governorship, Locke joined the Seattle office of international law firm Davis Wright Tremaine LLP, in their China and governmental-relations practice groups.

Footnotes

1. Legacy of Honor: The Values and Influence of America's Eagle Scouts, , Alvin, Townley, St. Martin's Press, , ISBN 0-312-36653-1

External links

★ Article "Threats to Locke's family are a factor in third-term decision" at SeattlePI.com

★ Bio of Gary Locke at The Washington State Digital Archives

★ PBS Program "Searching for Asian America"

★ "Was Someone Plotting To Kill Governor Locke?" at KOMO News

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