George Deukmejian

A native New Yorker, Deukmejian earned his Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in Sociology from Siena College in 1949 and his Juris Doctor (J.D.) from St. John's University in 1952. After graduating from St. John's, he served in the U.S. Army from 1953 to 1955, assigned to the Judge Advocate General's Corps. After completing his service in the army, Deukmejian moved to California in 1955. His sister, Anna Ashjian, who resided in California, introduced him to Gloria Saatjian, whose parents were also Armenian immigrants. Deukmejian married Gloria in 1957 and had three children: two daughters and one son. Deukmejian was elected to the California State Assembly in 1962 to represent the 39th district (Long Beach). He was reelected in 1964 and then won election to the California State Senate in 1966. In 1969, Deukmejian became Senate Majority Leader. He was reelected to the Senate in 1970 and 1974. In 1978, he opted not to run for a fourth Senate term, instead deciding to run for Attorney General. He won the office by a 10% margin, defeating Congresswoman Yvonne B. Burke. In 1982, Deukmejian decided to run for Governor instead of running for a second term as Attorney General, declaring "Attorneys General don't appoint judges - Governors do." Deukmejian won the Republican primary by 10% defeating Lieutenant Governor Mike Curb and the general election by 1.2% defeating Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley. Deukmejian won reelection in 1986 by a wide margin, demolishing Bradley in their rematch by a 23% margin. During the 1988 presidential election, Vice President George Bush considered Deukmejian as a running mate in his presidential campaign, but Deukmejian refused, not wanting to leave California in the hands of Lieutenant Governor Leo McCarthy. In 1990, Deukmejian was eligible to run for a third term but decided to retire and return to private life. He became a partner in the law firm of Sidley & Austin, serving until 2000, when he decided to retire at the age of 72.