8-K

                                  UNITED STATES
                       SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

                             WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

                                    FORM 8-K

                                 CURRENT REPORT
                      PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d)OF THE
                         SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
                                    02/16/05
                Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported)

                               SAFECO CORPORATION
               (Exact name of registrant as specified in Charter)

           WASHINGTON              1-6563             91-0742146
         (State or other        (Commission           (IRS Employer
         jurisdiction of        File Number)        Identification No.)
         incorporation)

                     Safeco Plaza, Seattle, Washington    98185
              (Address of principal executive officers) (Zip Code)

                                 (206) 545-5000
              (Registrant's telephone number, including area code)


Check  the  appropriate  box  below  if  the  Form 8-K  filing  is  intended  to
simultaneously  satisfy the filing obligation to the registrant under any of the
following provisions:


|_|  Written  communications  pursuant  to  Rule 425  under the  Securities  Act
     (17 CFR 230.425)

|_|  Soliciting   material  pursuant  to  Rule 14a-12  under  the  Exchange  Act
     (17 CFR 240.14a-12)

|_|  Pre-commencement   communications   pursuant  to  Rule 14d-2(b)  under  the
     Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b))

|_|  Pre-commencement   communications   pursuant  to  Rule 13e-4(c)  under  the
     Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c))

Item 5.02 Departure of Directors or Principal  Officers;  Election of Directors;
Appointment  of Principal  Officers

On February  16,  2005,  Safeco's  Board of  Directors  appointed  Gary Locke as
director.    Mr.  Locke  will  serve as a Class I  director  and will  stand for
election at our 2005  shareholders  meeting with incumbent  directors  Joseph W.
Brown, Phyllis J. Campbell and Kerry Killinger.

Item 9.01 Financial Statements and Exhibits

Exhibit 99.1 - Press release  "Former  Washington  Gov. Gary Locke  Appointed to
Safeco Board of Directors" dated February 18, 2005.





Signature

Pursuant  to the  requirements  of the  Securities  Exchange  Act of  1934,  the
registrant  has duly  caused  this  report  to be  signed  on its  behalf by the
undersigned thereunto duly authorized.


                                      SAFECO CORPORATION
                                      --------------------------------------
                                      Registrant

    Dated: February 18, 2005
                                      /s/ Stephanie Daley-Watson
                                      --------------------------------------
                                      Stephanie Daley-Watson
                                      Vice President and Secretary

EX-99.1

Contact:          Safeco Investor Relations
                  Neal Fuller, 206-545-5537

                  Safeco Media Relations
                  Paul Hollie, 206-545-3048


    Former Washington Gov. Gary Locke Appointed to Safeco Board of Directors

Seattle - (February 18, 2005) - Safeco's  (NASDAQ:  SAFC) board of directors has
appointed  former  Washington  State Governor Gary Locke as director,  effective
immediately.  Gov.  Locke will be included with the class of directors  standing
for election at the company's annual shareholders meeting on May 4, 2005.

Locke, 55, recently  completed two terms as governor of the state of Washington.
Earlier this week,  he joined the Seattle law firm of Davis Wright  Tremaine LLP
as a partner with its China and governmental relations practice groups.

"We are  delighted  to welcome  Governor  Locke to the Safeco  board," said Mike
McGavick,  Safeco chairman and CEO. "The governor's long-standing reputation for
thoughtfulness  and  leadership  will serve the board and our company well as we
work to take Safeco to an even greater level of success."

"It's an honor to join the board of one of the  nation's  leading  property  and
casualty  insurance  companies,  headquartered in Washington,"  said Gov. Locke.
"I'm proud to be  associated  with  Safeco's  history of service  and  community
involvement as well as its strong commitment to diversity."

Gov. Locke has a distinguished  record of achievement in public service.  Before
his 1996 election as the first  Chinese-American  governor in the country, Locke
served  as  chief   executive  of  King  County,   which  includes  the  Seattle
metropolitan  area. As a member of the Washington State House of Representatives
from 1982 to 1992,  he served on the House  Judiciary  Committee and chaired the
House Appropriations Committee for five years. He worked as a King County deputy
prosecutor  after  earning a law degree from Boston  University  in 1975.  Locke
spent his undergraduate years at Yale University, where he received a bachelor's
degree in political science in 1972.

Safeco, in business since 1923, is a Fortune 500 property and casualty insurance
company based in Seattle.  The company sells insurance to drivers,  home owners,
and small-  and  medium-sized  business  owners  through a  national  network of
independent agents and brokers.

                                      ####