National U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke Resigns and Becomes the Next U.S. Ambassador to China by Gary Kopycinski on August 1, 2011 Gary Kopycinski Author More in National: Rep. Kelly Condemns FDA Approval of Flavored E-Cigarettes May 6, 2026 Wisconsin Legislative Black Caucus Introduces Constitutional Amendment to Ban Slavery in Wisconsin February 24, 2026 Martha Washington’s Enslaved Maid Ona Judge Made a Daring Escape to Freedom – but the National Park Service Has Erased Her Story From Philadelphia Exhibit February 14, 2026 Washington, DC–(ENEWSPF)–August 1, 2011. U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke formally resigned today and was sworn in by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton as the next U.S. Ambassador to the People’s Republic of China.