George Deukmejian
Courken George Deukmejian Jr. (/djuːkˈmeɪdʒən/;[4] June 6, 1928 – May 8, 2018) was an American politician who served as the 35th governor of California from 1983 to 1991. A member of the Republican Party, he was the state's first governor of Armenian descent.
George Deukmejian
Jerry Brown
31st district (1977–1979)
37th district (1967–1977)
May 8, 2018 (aged 89)
Long Beach, California, U.S.
3
1953–1955
Born in New York, Deukmejian moved to California in 1955. He was elected to the State Assembly in 1962 to represent Long Beach. Four years later he was elected into the State Senate and later served as the Senate's minority leader. In 1970, Deukmejian unsuccessfully ran for Attorney General of California, finishing fourth in the Republican primary. In 1978 he secured the nomination and defeated Yvonne Brathwaite Burke to become the state's 27th attorney general. As attorney general, he led a veto override against Governor Jerry Brown, who had vetoed legislation to authorize the death penalty in the state.
After Governor Brown did not seek reelection in 1982, Deukmejian won the Republican nomination for governor and faced Los Angeles mayor Tom Bradley in the general election. Although opinion polls showed that Bradley had a favorable lead in the race, Deukmejian narrowly won the election outright. In 1986, Deukmejian defeated Bradley again for a much larger victory. As governor, Deukmejian made a name for being tough on crime, presenting himself to be in favor of "law and order". Under his administration, the California prison population nearly tripled, and he increased spending for the building of new prisons.
Deukmejian retired from front-line politics in 1991 and was succeeded as governor by fellow Republican Pete Wilson.
Early life and education[edit]
Deukmejian was born Courken George Deukmejian Jr. in Menands, New York.[5] His parents were Armenians born in the Armenian highlands, who emigrated from the Ottoman Empire (present-day Turkey) to the United States in the early 1900s. His father, Courken George Deukmejian, whose sister was killed during the Armenian Genocide,[6][7] was a rug merchant born in Aintab.[8] Deukmejian's mother, Alice Gairden,[9] was born in Erzurum; in the United States she worked for Montgomery Ward and later for New York State.[10]
Deukmejian attended local schools. For college, he graduated in 1949 with a B.A. in Sociology from Siena College.[9][1] He earned a Juris Doctor (J.D.) from St. John's University in New York City in 1952.[11] From 1953 to 1955, he served in the U.S. Army, assigned to the Judge Advocate General's Corps (JAG).[12][13]
Deukmejian moved to California in 1955 where his sister, Anna Ashjian, was living and there was a large Armenian community. She introduced him to his future wife Gloria Saatjian, a bank teller whose parents were also immigrants from Armenia.[10] They married on February 16, 1957.[14] He and his wife had three children: two daughters, born in 1964 and 1969; and one son, born in 1966.[1]
Death[edit]
Deukmejian died of natural causes at his home on May 8, 2018, at the age of 89.[7] California Governor Jerry Brown said on Twitter: "George Deukmejian was a popular governor and made friends across the political aisle. Anne and I join all Californians in expressing our deepest condolences to his family and friends".[53] He resided in the Belmont Park neighborhood of Long Beach for over 51 years.[54] Throughout his adult life, he was a member of All Saints Episcopal Church in Long Beach.[55]