[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 95 (Friday, June 8, 2018)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E815]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      TRIBUTE TO GEORGE DEUKMEJIAN

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. KEN CALVERT

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                          Friday, June 8, 2018

  Mr. CALVERT. Mr. Speaker, I rise today along with the entire 
California Republican Delegation to honor and pay tribute to former 
California Governor George Deukmejian, who passed away in Long Beach, 
California on Tuesday, May 8, 2018. Deukmejian served the people of 
California in many ways throughout his life and he will be deeply 
missed.
  Deukmejian's parents, George Sr. and Alice Gairden, were Armenians 
who emigrated from the Ottoman Empire in the early 1900s to escape the 
Armenian Genocide. George Jr. was born on June 6, 1928, in Menands, New 
York. Deukmejian graduated with a B.A. in Sociology from Siena College 
in 1949 and then earned a Juris Doctor from St. John's University in 
1952. Shortly thereafter he served for two years in the U.S. Army, 
assigned to the Judge Advocate General's Corps. In 955, Deukmejian 
moved to California and later met his future wife Gloria Saatjian. They 
married on February 16, 1957, and had three children.
  Following a brief time in private law practice in Long Beach, 
Deukmejian entered politics and, in 1962, was elected to the California 
State Assembly. A few years later, Deukmejian was elected to the State 
Senate, where he would serve for twelve years and rise to become the 
Majority Leader. With a legacy of advocating for law and order, 
Deukmejian successfully ran for Attorney General in 1978. In 1982, 
Deukmejian was elected to his first term as Governor of California. He 
would later be re-elected to a second term in 1986. Throughout his time 
as Governor, Deukmejian was known as a fiscal conservative who was 
tough on crime and helped make the state economically competitive.
  Along with the entire California Republican Delegation, I want to 
extend my heartfelt condolences to the Deukmejian family, his friends, 
and everyone who had the pleasure of serving with him. Although 
Governor Deukmejian may be gone, the many life-changing contributions 
he made in California will have a lasting impact.

                          ____________________