Victor Atiyeh

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Victor George Atiyeh (Template:IPAc-en; February 20, 1923 – July 20, 2014) was an American politician who served as the 32nd governor of Oregon from 1979 to 1987. He was also the first elected governor of Middle Eastern descent and of Syrian descent in the United States.<ref name=jointres24>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>

Atiyeh was elected in 1978, defeating incumbent Democratic governor Robert W. Straub. He was re-elected against future governor Ted Kulongoski with 61.6% of the vote in 1982, the largest margin in 32 years.<ref name=jointres24/> Prior to being elected governor, Atiyeh had served continuously in the Oregon legislature since 1959, initially in the House and later in the Senate.

As of Template:Year, Atiyeh is the most recent Republican to have held the office of Governor of Oregon to date.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Early lifeEdit

Atiyeh's parents, George Atiyeh and Linda Asly, immigrated to the United States from Amar al-Husn, Syria, and Beirut, Lebanon, respectively.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Atiyeh's father came through Ellis Island in 1898 to join his brother Aziz's carpet business. Atiyeh's mother's family belonged to the Antiochian Orthodox Church though Atiyeh would join the Episcopal Church later in life.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

Atiyeh grew up in Portland, Oregon, attending Holladay Grade School and Washington High School.<ref name=oreg-2014jul20>Template:Cite news</ref> He spent two years at the University of Oregon in Eugene, where he played guard for the Oregon Ducks football program and became a regional leader in the Boy Scouts of America.<ref name=arcwebbio>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> When his father died, Atiyeh dropped out of college and took over his family's rug and carpet business, Atiyeh Brothers.<ref name=arcwebbio/><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

CareerEdit

File:Governor victor atiyeh meeting.jpg

Governor Atiyeh (2nd from left) meeting with delegation in Oregon State Capitol, 1980

Atiyeh served as a member of the Oregon House of Representatives for Washington County from 1959 to 1964 and in the Oregon State Senate for the 9th district from 1965 to 1978.<ref name="Ellis Island">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Governor of OregonEdit

In 1974, Atiyeh ran for governor and lost to Democrat Robert W. Straub.<ref name="ohs">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> After defeating former governor Tom McCall in the primary, Atiyeh ran against Straub again in the 1978 election, but won this time with 55 percent of the vote.<ref name="ohs" /> He was the first Arab American to be elected as a U.S. governor.<ref name=oreg-2014jul20 />

In 1982, Atiyeh won re-election to a second four-year term, winning 61.4% of the vote over Democrat Ted Kulongoski - the largest victory margin in 32 years for a gubernatorial election in Oregon.<ref name="Ellis Island" /> Atiyeh carried all 36 counties in the state.

As governor, Atiyeh established new public safety programs for Oregon's traditional fishing and lumber trades.<ref name=ohs/> He provided incentives to bring new industries to the state to diversify the economy, including the opening of a trade office in Tokyo, Japan, Oregon's first overseas trade office.<ref name=ohs/> He launched a worldwide tourism initiative and worked towards the designation of the Columbia River Gorge as a national scenic preservation area.<ref name="Ellis Island"/> These efforts earned him the nickname "Trader Vic."<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> As a result, the international concourse at Portland International Airport is dedicated to him and contains a statue of him.<ref> Template:Cite journal</ref>

Atiyeh helped establish a statewide food bank, which was the nation's first.<ref name="Ellis Island"/> He also worked to raise awareness of the dangers of drunk driving and signed new laws against the practice.<ref name=arcwebbio/><ref name=ohs/> He chaired the Republican Governors Association and was the Republican National Convention's floor leader for President Ronald Reagan in 1984.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Volunteer and charitable workEdit

Atiyeh had a long relationship with Forest Grove-based Pacific University, serving as a trustee and trustee emeritus and accepting an honorary doctorate from the university in 1996. He donated a trove of his memorabilia to the university library in 2011.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Later careerEdit

File:Victor G. Atiyeh 2012.jpg

Atiyeh in 2012

After leaving office, Atiyeh became an international trade consultant.<ref name="arcwebbio" />

In 2006, Atiyeh co-chaired the "Yes on 49" campaign, supporting Ballot Measure 49, along with Democratic former governor Barbara Roberts, former and future governor John Kitzhaber, and then-governor Ted Kulongoski. He solicited a $100,000 donation to the campaign from Phil Knight, CEO of Nike.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Personal lifeEdit

Atiyeh lived in Portland with his wife, Dolores (née Hewitt), whom he married on July 5, 1944.<ref name="arcwebbio" /><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> They had two children, Tom and Suzanne.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Dolores Atiyeh died on August 29, 2016, in Portland at the age of 92.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Health and deathEdit

On August 31, 2005, Atiyeh underwent quadruple bypass surgery; he drove himself to St. Vincent Medical Center after suffering chest pains. Atiyeh was noted for his fiscal conservatism; his spokesman noted that he had stopped on his way to the hospital to fill his car with gas, having observed the sharply rising prices. In the weeks following the surgery, Atiyeh was readmitted to the hospital for several brief stays after suffering shortness of breath and pain in his arms.<ref name=oreg-2014jul20/>

On July 5, 2014, Atiyeh fell at his home. He was admitted again to Providence St. Vincent Medical Center, where he was treated for internal bleeding; while he was briefly released, he was re-hospitalized after incurring an adverse reaction to pain medication, and died from kidney failure on July 20, at age 91.<ref name=oreg-2014jul20 /><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

ReferencesEdit

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External linksEdit

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Records of Governor Victor G. Atiyeh's Administration (January 8, 1979 - January 12, 1987) from the Oregon State Archives
Biography on Oregon Historical Society website
Victor Atiyeh Collection of personal papers, Pacific University
Obituary in The Oregonian

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