Former U.S. Commerce Secretary, former Washington state governor and past Queen Anne resident Gary Locke was sworn in as the new U.S. ambassador to China Monday, making him the first Chinese-American to hold the position, according to a report by the Associated Press. From the AP story:
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton officiated at Locke’s Monday swearing-in ceremony at the State Department. She praised the ex-two-term governor of Washington state for his hard work on behalf of the American people and said he was the right person to manage the “extraordinarily important” relationship the U.S. has with China.
Locke was easily confirmed to the position by the Senate in a voice vote. As the top U.S. envoy in Beijing, he replaces Jon Huntsman, who resigned to seek the Republican presidential nomination to challenge President Barack Obama next year.
Locke served as the governor of Washington from 1997 to 2005. He was the first and remains the only Chinese American to date to serve as a governor in the United States.