Victor G. Atiyeh

Victor George Atiyeh is an American politician, elected the 32nd Governor of Oregon in 1978. A member of the Republican Party, Atiyeh was the first elected governor of Arab descent in the United States. He served eight years, from 1979 through 1987. He won re-election running against future governor Ted Kulongoski with 61.6 percent of the vote, the largest margin in 32 years. As of 2012, Atiyeh was the last Republican to serve as Oregon governor. As a young man, Atiyeh worked in his family's rug and carpet business, Atiyeh Brothers, established by his Syrian immigrant father 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. He ran unsuccessfully for Governor in 1974 but beat incumbent Bob Straub in 1978, attracting 55 percent of the vote. He was reelected in 1982 by Oregon's largest gubernatorial margin in 32 years. He established new public safety programs for Oregon's traditional fishing and lumber trades. He took measures to attract new industries to the state, bringing thousands of jobs. He initiated the state's lottery.
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