21 Facts About Victor Atiyeh

Victor George Atiyeh was an American politician who served as the 32nd Governor of Oregon from 1979 to 1987.

Victor Atiyeh was the first elected governor of Middle Eastern descent and of Syrian descent in the United States.

Victor Atiyeh's father came through Ellis Island in 1898 to join his brother Aziz's carpet business.

Victor Atiyeh grew up in Portland, Oregon, attending Holladay Grade School and Washington High School.

Victor Atiyeh 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.

When his father died, Victor Atiyeh dropped out of college and took over his family's rug and carpet business, Victor Atiyeh Brothers.

Victor 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.

In 1974, Atiyeh ran for governor and lost to Democrat Robert W Straub.

Victor Atiyeh was the first Arab American to be elected as a US governor.

Victor Atiyeh 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.

Victor Atiyeh launched a worldwide tourism initiative and worked towards the designation of the Columbia River Gorge as a national scenic preservation area.

Victor Atiyeh helped establish a statewide food bank, which was the nation's first.

Victor Atiyeh worked to raise awareness of the dangers of drunk driving and signed new laws against the practice.

Victor Atiyeh chaired the Republican Governors Association and was the Republican National Convention's floor leader for President Ronald Reagan in 1984.

Victor 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.

Victor Atiyeh donated a trove of his memorabilia to the university library in 2011.

In 2006, Victor 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.

Victor Atiyeh solicited a $100,000 donation to the campaign from Phil Knight, CEO of Nike.

Victor Atiyeh lived in Portland with his wife, Dolores, whom he married on July 5,1944.

Dolores Victor Atiyeh died on August 29,2016, in Portland at the age of 92.

Victor 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.