Christine Gregoire

Chris Gregoire


22nd Governor of Washington
In office January 12, 2005 – January 16, 2013
Lieutenant	Brad Owen
Preceded by	Gary Locke
Succeeded by	Jay Inslee
Chair of National Governors Association
In office November 15, 2010 – July 17, 2011
Preceded by	Joe Manchin
Succeeded by	Dave Heineman
16th Attorney General of Washington
In office January 13, 1993 – January 12, 2005
Governor	Mike Lowry Gary Locke
Preceded by	Ken Eikenberry
Succeeded by	Rob McKenna
Personal details
Born	Christine O'Grady (1947-03-24) March 24, 1947 (age 70) Adrian, Michigan, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Education	University of Washington, Seattle (BA) Gonzaga University (JD)

Christine "Chris" O'Grady Gregoire (/ˈɡrɛɡwɑːr/; born March 24, 1947) is an American politician who served as the 22nd Governor of the state of Washington from 2005 to 2013. A member of the Democratic Party, Gregoire defeated Republican candidate Dino Rossi in 2004 and again in 2008. She is the second female governor of Washington. She was the National Governors Association chairwoman for the 2010–11 term. After she left the governorship, some sources reported that she was being considered for a position in Barack Obama's cabinet in his second term, possibly in the State Department, or as United States Secretary of the Interior. However, John Kerry became the United States Secretary of State, while Sally Jewell was nominated for the position of Interior Secretary.

Gregoire currently serves on the Governors’ Council of the Bipartisan Policy Center in Washington, D.C.

Gregoire was born in Adrian, Michigan. She was raised in Auburn, Washington, by her mother, Sybil Grace Jacobs (née Palmer), who worked as a short-order cook to support the family. After graduating from Auburn Senior High School, she attended the University of Washington in Seattle, graduating in 1969 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in speech and sociology. At UW, she became a member of the Sigma Iota chapter of the Kappa Delta sorority. She then attended law school at Gonzaga University in Spokane, receiving her Juris Doctor in 1977.