Victor G. Atiyeh

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Victor G. Atiyeh

32^th Governor of Oregon
Term of office: January 8, 1979 – January 12, 1987
Predecessor:	Robert W. Straub
Successor:	Neil Goldschmidt
Born:	February 20, 1923 Oregon
Political party:	Republican
Profession:	Rug Merchant, Politician
Spouse:	Dolores Atiyeh

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. He was a member of the Republican Party. Atiyeh served eight years as governor 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.

He worked in the rug and carpet business, Atiyeh Brothers, established by his 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.

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 the hospital 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.