23 Facts About Victor Ashe

1.

Victor Henderson Ashe II was born on January 1,1945 and is an American former diplomat and politician who served as United States Ambassador to Poland.

2.

Ambassador Ashe concluded his service as Ambassador to Poland on September 26,2009.

3.

Victor Ashe was born in Knoxville, Tennessee, where he attended public school.

4.

Victor Ashe attended the Groton School in Groton, Massachusetts and subsequently the Hotchkiss School in Lakeville, Connecticut.

5.

Victor Ashe graduated from Yale University in 1967 with a BA in history.

6.

At Yale, Ashe was a member of the Skull and Bones society, as was George W Bush.

7.

In 1968 Victor Ashe was elected to the Tennessee House of Representatives; he was only 23 years old at the time.

8.

The Knox County GOP then nominated his mother, Martha Victor Ashe, to replace him as the nominee.

9.

Victor Ashe was elected by the voters with the promise to resign in January 1975 when Ashe turned 30.

10.

From 1967 to 1973, during the Vietnam War, Victor Ashe was a member of the United States Marine Corps Air Reserves.

11.

Victor Ashe was the Executive Director of the Americans Outdoors Commission from 1985 until 1987.

12.

Victor Ashe ran unsuccessfully for the US Senate in 1984 against future Vice President Al Gore.

13.

Victor Ashe was elected to be the mayor of Knoxville in November 1987.

14.

Victor Ashe circumvented the council and established the committee by executive order.

15.

Victor Ashe was a strong supporter of parkland in the city, and during his tenure, parkland in Knoxville was increased from 700 to 1,700 acres and 30 miles of greenway was added.

16.

Victor Ashe initiated a program called "Penny for the Parks" to create a trust fund that would use a one cent tax and federal matching money to commit $250,000 a year for city parks, greenways and historic preservation.

17.

One of the issues Victor Ashe engaged in when he was appointed ambassador to Poland was the difficulty Poles have getting work and tourist visas for the United States.

18.

Victor Ashe has noted that Poland has a growing economy that offers many opportunities for US businesses.

19.

Victor Ashe is interested in having his own area of Knoxville and East Tennessee take advantage of such opportunities, and in 2005 advised a group of 16 Knoxville-area businesses to put together a trade mission to Poland.

20.

Victor Ashe was decorated on September 25,2009 by Mariusz Handzlik, undersecretary of state in President's Office.

21.

Victor Ashe serves on the Broadcasting Board of Governors, the body which supervises the federal agencies which broadcast to foreign countries.

22.

Victor Ashe called the report "unwarranted, unfair and factually incorrect" and in his defense pointed to his support from labor.

23.

Victor Ashe is the uncle of professional basketball players Mason Plumlee, Miles Plumlee, and Marshall Plumlee.