caption predecessor successor death_date birth_place death_place party article_title office birth_date order term_start birthname image spouse term_end alma_mater
atiyeh in 2012 robert straub neil goldschmidt 20 july 2014 portland , oregon , u.s. portland , oregon , u.s. republican party victor g. atiyeh
 governor member of the oregon house of representatives of oregon member of the oregon state senate 20 february 1923 32nd january 8 , 1979 1965 1959 victor george atiyeh victor g. atiyeh 2012.jpg dolores death -rrb- hewitt -lrb- m. 1944 -- 2014 ; his january 12 , 1987 1978 1964 university of oregon
victor g. atiyeh

victor george `` vic '' atiyeh -lrb- february 20 , 1923 -- july 20 , 2014 -rrb- was an american politician and member of the republican party who served as the 32nd governor of oregon from 1979 to 1987 .
the first elected governor of arab 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 2015 , atiyeh is the last republican to have served as the governor of oregon .
