Victor G. Atiyeh

Infobox Governor


name= Victor G. Atiyeh
caption=
order=32^nd
office= Governor of Oregon
term_start= January 8, 1979
term_end= January 12, 1987
lieutenant=
predecessor= Robert W. Straub
successor= Neil Goldschmidt
birth_date= Birth date and age|1923|2|20|mf=y
birth_place= Oregon
death_date=
death_place=
spouse= Dolores Atiyeh
profession= Rug Merchant, Politician
party= Republican
footnotes=

Victor George Atiyeh (born February 20, 1923 in Portland, Oregon) was elected Governor of Oregon in 1978 after unsuccessfully running against Robert W. Straub four years earlier. A member of the Republican Party, Atiyeh was the first elected governor of Arab descent in the United States, serving eight years from 1979 through 1987. [ [http://www.leg.state.or.us/05reg/measures/sjr1.dir/sjr0024.a.html Directs Port of Portland to rename Portland International Airport,] Oregon Legislature, July 6, 2005. Accessed September 8 2007.] [Philip Harsham and Robert Azzi. [http://www.saudiaramcoworld.com/issue/197502/arabs.in.america-the.native.sons.htm Arabs in America: The Native Sons.] Saudi Aramco World. March/April 1975. Accessed September 8 2007.] He won re-election running against future governor Ted Kulongoski with 61.6 percent of the vote, the largest margin in 32 years.

He worked in the rug and carpet business, Atiyeh Brothers, established by his father, an immigrant from Syria, at the turn of the 20th century.

Atiyeh served as a member of the Oregon House of Representatives from 1959 to 1964 and in the Oregon State Senate from 1965 to 1978.

When state residents began losing food stamp benefits in 1979, Atiyeh was instrumental in establishing Oregon Food Share, the nation's first statewide food bank.

Since leaving office, Atiyeh has been an international trade consultant. On August 31, 2005, he underwent quadruple bypass surgery; the former governor drove himself to St. Vincent Medical Center after suffering chest pains. Atiyeh was noted for being a fiscal conservative; his spokesman told reporters that he had stopped on his way to the hospital to fill his car with gas, having taken note of 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.

In 2006, Atiyeh co-chaired the "Yes on 49" campaign, supporting Ballot Measure 49, along with Democratic former governors Barbara Roberts, John Kitzhaber, and current governor Ted Kulongoski. He solicited a $100,000 donation to the campaign from Phil Knight, CEO of Nike, a businessman who does not typically involve himself in political campaigns. [cite news
title=Nike co-founder backs Measure 49 with $100,000
date=October 6, 2007
work=KGW.com
publisher=Associated Press
url=http://www.kgw.com/news-local/stories/kgw_100607_news_knight_measure_49.14423cc54.html]

To date, Atiyeh is the last Republican Governor of Oregon.

References

External links

* [http://arcweb.sos.state.or.us/governors/Atiyeh/atiyehmenu.htm Oregon State Archives file] on Atiyeh (January 8 1979 - January 12 1987)
* [http://arcweb.sos.state.or.us/governors/Atiyeh/atiyehbio.htm Biographical Note] from Oregon State Archives
* [http://www.uoregon.edu/~uadvance/awards/entries/68.html University of Oregon Awards]