Christine Gregoire Biography Quotes 25 Report mistakes

Overview
Christine O’Grady Gregoire (born March 24, 1947) is an American attorney, public executive, and Democratic politician who served as the 22nd governor of Washington from 2005 to 2013. Previously Washington’s attorney general from 1993 to 2005, she became nationally known for leading the states’ litigation against the tobacco industry that culminated in the 1998 Master Settlement Agreement. As governor, she steered Washington through the Great Recession, invested in education and infrastructure, advanced environmental stewardship, and signed landmark civil rights legislation, including marriage equality.

Early Life and Education
Gregoire was born in Adrian, Michigan, and raised in Auburn, Washington, by a single mother. The experience of growing up in modest circumstances shaped her emphasis on educational opportunity and effective public services. She earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Washington and a law degree from Gonzaga University School of Law in 1977, becoming the first in her immediate family to graduate from college.

Early Career and Rise in Public Service
After law school, Gregoire joined the Washington State Attorney General’s Office, where she rose through the ranks as an assistant and later deputy attorney general. In 1988, Governor Booth Gardner appointed her director of the Washington Department of Ecology. There she helped negotiate the 1989 Tri-Party Agreement among the state, the U.S. Department of Energy, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to accelerate cleanup of the Hanford nuclear reservation, one of the nation’s most complex environmental remediation efforts.

Attorney General of Washington (1993–2005)
Elected in 1992 and reelected in 1996 and 2000, Gregoire led an office that handled consumer protection, environmental enforcement, antitrust, and criminal appeals. She played a central role in the multi-state litigation against tobacco companies that produced the 1998 Master Settlement Agreement, delivering billions of dollars to states for public health and tobacco prevention.

Her office also defended the state’s positions in major constitutional and public-safety cases, including the U.S. Supreme Court’s Washington v. Glucksberg decision regarding physician-assisted suicide, and worked to strengthen protections for vulnerable populations through consumer and elder-fraud enforcement. During this period she collaborated with and, at times, opposed notable Washington leaders including her predecessor as attorney general, Ken Eikenberry, and her successor, Rob McKenna.

The Historic 2004 Gubernatorial Election
Gregoire ran for governor in 2004, facing Republican nominee Dino Rossi in one of the closest gubernatorial contests in U.S. history. After an initial count and two recounts, including a hand recount, Gregoire prevailed by 133 votes. A legal challenge to the result was dismissed, and she was sworn in January 2005. The razor-thin outcome framed her first year in office, requiring immediate coalition-building with legislative leaders such as House Speaker Frank Chopp and Senate Majority Leader Lisa Brown.

Governor of Washington (2005–2013)
- Economic management and the Great Recession: Gregoire’s first term benefited from strong revenues that she directed toward education, health care, and infrastructure. The global financial crisis then forced significant budget-balancing in 2009, 2011. She used a mix of cuts, efficiencies, one-time federal recovery funds, and targeted revenue measures, while launching performance-management reforms (GMAP) to increase accountability across state agencies. She supported creation and use of a constitutional rainy day fund to stabilize finances.

- Education and children: Gregoire created the Department of Early Learning (2006) and expanded access to all-day kindergarten and preschool. She consolidated and expanded children’s health coverage under Apple Health for Kids, with the goal of covering all children. She convened a broad education reform effort (Washington Learns) to align early learning, K, 12, and higher education for better student outcomes. Late in her tenure, the Washington Supreme Court’s McCleary ruling underscored the state’s constitutional duty to fully fund basic education, a challenge she engaged with proposals to increase stable funding.

- Infrastructure and transportation: In 2005 she led passage of a major transportation package funded by a gas-tax increase to repair and replace aging infrastructure, including the Alaskan Way Viaduct and SR-520 bridge. When a repeal measure (Initiative 912) reached the ballot, she campaigned with bipartisan local leaders, including Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels and King County leaders, to retain the funding; voters agreed.

- Environment and energy: Building on her Ecology background, Gregoire established the Puget Sound Partnership (2007) to restore the Sound, advanced water-management compacts in the Columbia River Basin, and joined regional climate initiatives to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions. She pressed the federal government for progress at Hanford while investing in clean energy and green jobs.

- Civil rights and health: Gregoire signed Washington’s domestic partnership laws (2007, expanded in 2009) and, in 2012, championed and signed marriage equality legislation later affirmed by voters. She supported public-health investments and used tobacco-settlement funds for prevention and care, consistent with her long-standing anti-tobacco work.

- Economic development and innovation: Gregoire worked with business, labor, and education leaders to strengthen the state’s innovation economy, emphasizing life sciences, aerospace, and technology. She helped launch the Washington State Opportunity Scholarship (2011), a public, private partnership to expand college access in high-demand fields, with early support from major employers including Boeing and Microsoft.

Gregoire won reelection in 2008, again defeating Dino Rossi, this time by a clear margin. She was succeeded by Jay Inslee in January 2013.

National Leadership
Among her national roles, Gregoire served as chair of the National Governors Association (2010, 2011), focusing on college completion and workforce competitiveness. Earlier, as Washington’s attorney general, she had been an active leader within the National Association of Attorneys General during and after the tobacco litigation. She also collaborated frequently with Washington’s congressional delegation, most notably U.S. Senators Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell, on transportation, environmental, and economic issues important to the state.

Later Career
After leaving office, Gregoire became the founding CEO of Challenge Seattle, a coalition of chief executives from leading companies working on regional competitiveness, mobility, housing, and education. She has served on civic and nonprofit boards, including in health research and higher education, continuing her emphasis on innovation, equity, and public, private partnership.

People Around Her
- Booth Gardner: Governor who appointed Gregoire to lead the Department of Ecology, shaping her environmental and management approach.
- Ken Eikenberry and Rob McKenna: Her predecessor and successor as Washington attorney general, framing bipartisan eras of the office.
- Dino Rossi: Her Republican opponent in the 2004 and 2008 gubernatorial elections.
- Frank Chopp and Lisa Brown: Legislative leaders central to advancing budgets, transportation, and education reforms.
- Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell: U.S. senators with whom Gregoire coordinated on federal funding and policy for Washington.
- Gary Locke and Jay Inslee: Her gubernatorial predecessor and successor, reflecting continuity of Democratic leadership in the state.

Personal Life
Christine O’Grady married Mike Gregoire in 1975. They have two daughters, Courtney and Michelle. Courtney Gregoire has served in public office at the local level and in the private technology sector. The family has long been active in veterans’ and cancer-advocacy causes, reflecting personal experience and public service commitments.

Legacy and Impact
Gregoire’s career spans pivotal moments in state and national policy: the tobacco settlement that reshaped public health financing; the transformation of environmental cleanup and Puget Sound restoration; major infrastructure renewal; and the expansion of civil rights culminating in marriage equality. As governor, she combined pragmatism and coalition-building to guide Washington through economic crisis while investing in long-term competitiveness. Her post-governorship leadership at the nexus of business, government, and education has extended her influence on the state’s innovation economy and quality of life.

Our collection contains 25 quotes who is written by Christine, under the main topics: Motivational - Justice - Learning - Freedom - Hope.

Other people realated to Christine: Jim McDermott (Politician), William Ruckelshaus (Lawyer), Ted Kulongoski (Politician)

• Mike Gregoire: Christine's husband; a Vietnam War veteran (not the tech executive with the same name).
• Christine Gregoire recount: Her 2004 WA governor race was decided by a hand recount; she won by 129 votes after legal challenges.
• Christine Gregoire pronunciation: kris-TEEN GREG-wahr (surname rhymes with 'war').
• Christine Gregoire education: BA, University of Washington; JD, Gonzaga University School of Law.
• Christine Gregoire daughters: Courtney Gregoire; Michelle Gregoire.
• Christine Gregoire previous offices: Governor of Washington (2005-2013); Washington Attorney General (1993-2005); Director, WA Dept. of Ecology (1988-1992).
• What is Christine Gregoire doing now: CEO of Challenge Seattle since 2015; active on civic and policy boards.
• What is Christine Gregoire net worth? Not publicly disclosed; often estimated in the low millions (unverified).
• How old is Christine Gregoire? She is 78 years old

• Wikipedia