Senate Confirms Gary Locke as Secretary of Commerce

The third time was the charm. The United States Senate last night confirmed Gary Locke as the nation’s 36th Commerce Secretary by unanimous consent.

Locke was elected Washington State’s 21st governor in 1996, making him the first Chinese American governor in U.S. history and the first Asian American governor on the mainland. In 2000, Locke was re-elected to a second term as governor.

We expect to see nominations of several key senior Commerce Department officials in the coming weeks, including Under Secretary for Industry and Security and Under Secretary for International Trade.