Gov. Gregoire, artist unveil governor�s portrait

For Immediate Release: January 11, 2013

OLYMPIA� Gov. Chris Gregoire today, alongside her family and friends, unveiled her portrait by artist Michele Rushworth that will hang in the Governor�s Office alongside all other paintings of former governors.

�To have my portrait displayed among our state�s past governors is a tremendous honor,� Gregoire said. �If only my Mom could have been here to see this today. Here I am the daughter of a short order cook from Auburn, and the first in my family to go to college. And now my portrait will be hanging in the office of the Governor of Washington, alongside those who came before. I am truly humbled.�

Included in the portrait is a painting of 22 law enforcement, fire department and military challenge coins, which serve to symbolize Gregoire as the state�s 22nd governor. The topmost coin, from the Washington State Patrol, symbolizes her gratitude to the men and women of the patrol who protected the first family during her tenure. The Temple of Justice, seen in the background, is a reminder of her law career � which includes being the first woman elected as the state�s Attorney General, a position in which she served three terms.