Obama's Commerce chief announced

Profile: Gary Locke

US President Barack Obama has picked former Washington state Governor Gary Locke to be his Commerce Secretary.

This is the third time Mr Obama has picked a Commerce Secretary, after his previous two appointees both removed themselves from consideration.

New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson withdrew to fight an ethics probe, while Republican Senator Judd Gregg withdrew after political disagreements.

Mr Locke will be the third Asian-American in the new Cabinet.

He was the first ever Chinese-American to serve as a state governor in the US.

As Commerce Secretary, Mr Locke will make decisions about America's telecommunications infrastructure and will be responsible for promoting economic development.

With Mr Locke's appointment, President Obama has just one more cabinet-level post left to fill - the job of Health and Human Services Secretary.

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