Booth Gardner launched his political career in 1981, serving as Pierce County's first elected county executive. This was followed by one term in the Washington state senate. In 1985, Gardner was elected the 19th governor of Washington Sate. During his tenure, he led the way on several fronts, including education reform, health care reform and transportation. His record also demonstrated his commitment to environmental and trade issues. Upon leaving the governor's office, Gardner was appointed U.S. Ambassador to the World Trade Organization (formerly known as GATT) in 1995. Before entering politics, he was the president of the Laird Norton Company for 11 years. Gardner was a member of Weyerhaeuser's Board of Directors and is currently active on several corporate and community boards, including Washington Mutual, the University of Puget Sound, Puget Sound Bank, and the Northwest Parkinson's Foundation. Gardner received a BA from the University of Washington and earned a master's in business administration from Harvard University.