Victor Atiyeh

Common card · No. 223072

Victor George Atiyeh (; 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 and Lebanese descent in the United States. 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. 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 2026, Atiyeh is the most recent Republican to have held the office of Governor of Oregon to date. During his tenure as governor, he most notably faced the 1980s recession, the eruption of Mt. St. Helens in 1980, and the Rajneesh crisis from 1981-1985.

Read on Wikipedia · Image Steve Morgan, CC BY-SA 3.0