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List of American politicians of Armenian descent

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Between 1962 and 1991, George Deukmejian served as a State Assemblyman, Senator, State Attorney General and Governor of California.

This article is the list of Armenian American politicians, officeholders and party chairpersons.

Bold indicates incumbent officeholders.

Note: persons are classified by chronological order

Federal government

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Cabinet officials

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Name Position Took office Left office President(s) Ref
Thomas Corwin[a] Secretary of the Treasury 23 July 1850 6 March 1853 Millard Fillmore
Paul Ignatius Secretary of the Navy 1 September 1967 24 January 1969 Lyndon B. Johnson [5]
Robert Mardian Assistant Attorney General
for the Internal Security Division 		7 November 1970 March 1972 Richard Nixon [6][7]
Harry R. Kamian Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State
for Energy Resources 		7 September 2021 30 June 2023[b] Joe Biden [8][9]
Jeff Marootian Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Energy
in the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy 		September 2022 Joe Biden [10][11]

Executive Office of the President

[edit]

Members of Congress

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Name Party State Years Ref
Senate
Thomas Corwin[a] Whig Ohio 1845–50
House of Representatives
Thomas Corwin[a] Whig Ohio 1830–40
1859–61
Steven Derounian Republican New York 1953–65
[21][22]
Adam Benjamin Jr. Democratic Indiana 1977–82
[21]
Chip Pashayan Republican California 1979–91
[21][23]
Anna Eshoo Democratic California 1993–
[21][24]
John E. Sweeney Republican New York 1999–2007
[21][25]
Jackie Speier Democratic California 2008–23
[21][26]
Anthony Brindisi Democratic New York 2019–21
[27][28]

Federal Judicial

[edit]
Name Position Dates Ref
Dickran Tevrizian Judge of the United States District Court for the Central District of California 1985–2005 [29]
Samuel Der-Yeghiayan Judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois 2003–2018 [30][31]

State government

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Governors

[edit]
Name State Party Years Ref
Thomas Corwin[a] Ohio Whig 1840–42
George Deukmejian California Republican 1983–91
[32]

Other state officials

[edit]
Name Party Position Years Ref
George Deukmejian Republican California Attorney General 1979–83 [32]
Julia Tashjian Democratic Secretary of the State of Connecticut 1983–91 [33][21]
Brad Avakian Democratic Oregon Commissioner of Labor 2008–19 [34]
Rachel Kaprielian Democratic Massachusetts Secretary of Labor and Workforce Development 2014–15 [35]
Peter Koutoujian Democratic Middlesex County Sheriff, Massachusetts 2011– [36]

State Judicial

[edit]
Name Position Years Ref
Steven Derounian Justice of the New York Supreme Court 1969–81 [21][22]
Robert Philibosian Los Angeles County District Attorney 1982–84 [37][38]
Armand Arabian Justice of the Supreme Court of California 1990–96 [21]
Marvin R. Baxter Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of California 1991–2015 [21]
Michael Amerian Judge of the Los Angeles County Superior Court 2018– [39]
Armenui Ashvanian Judge of the Los Angeles County Superior Court 2018– [39][40]
Zaven V. Sinanian Judge of the Los Angeles County Superior Court 2002–
Kaye Tertzag Judge of Wayne County Circuit Court 1987–2004

Legislature

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Municipal government

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Mayors

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Other

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Foreign service

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Ambassadors

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See also: Ambassadors of the United States
Name Position Years President(s) Ref
Thomas Corwin[a] Minister to Mexico 1861–64 Abraham Lincoln
Edward Djerejian
Ambassador to Syria 1988–91 Ronald Reagan [72]
Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern and South Asian Affairs 1991–93 George H. W. Bush
Ambassador to Israel 1993–94 Bill Clinton
William A. Stanton
Chargé d’affaires to Embassy Canberra, Australia 2005–06 George W. Bush [73]
Director of the American Institute in Taiwan
Deputy Chief of Mission to Embassy Seoul, Korea 		2009–12 Barack Obama
Nina Hachigian
Ambassador to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) 2014–17 Barack Obama [70]
Special Representative for Subnational Diplomacy 2022– Joe Biden
Harry R. Kamian Deputy Chief of Mission/Deputy Permanent Representative to the U.S. Mission to the OSCE 2017–2020[c] Joe Biden [8][9]

Others

[edit]
United States Foreign Service
  • Leon Dominian, consul in Rome (1921), consul-general in Stuttgart (1930), first secretary of the U.S. legation at Montevideo, Uruguay[74]
  • Edward Alexander, deputy director for the Soviet Union and East Europe[75][76]

Other political figures

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See also

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References

[edit]
Notes
  1. ^ a b c d e Corwin's (partial) Armenian ancestry was reported by his close friend Samuel S. Cox, U.S. ambassador to Ottoman Turkey,[1][2] and later cited by others.[3][4] However, James H. Tashjian noted in 1981 that "Cox's testimony of Corwin's Armenian parentage has not been substantiated by family records or other evidence and that recently references to Corwin as an Armenian have all but ceased."[1]
  2. ^ acting Assistant Secretary until 19 September 2022
  3. ^ Chargé d’Affaires and Acting Permanent Representative during the first two years.[8]
Citations
  1. ^ a b Tashjian, James H. (September 1981). "Unpublished Letters of William Saroyan: Ethnic Motivations of an American Writer" (PDF). The Armenian Review. 34 (3–135): 247.
  2. ^ Cox, Samuel S. (1887). Diversions of A Diplomat in Turkey. New York: Charles L. Webster & Co. p. 182. ...Secretary of the Treasury in America—I mean Governor Thomas Corwin, of Ohio, of Armenian-Hungarian descent...
  3. ^ Mahdesian, Arshag (April 1917). "Armenia, Her Culture and Aspirations". Journal of Race Development. 7 (4): 460. doi:10.2307/29738214. hdl:2027/uiug.30112089316282. JSTOR 29738214. The Armenians have not been less prominent in the United States: witness the late Governor Thomas Corwin, of Ohio, also at one time Secretary of the United States Treasury...
  4. ^ Stone, Frank A. (1974). "Armenian Studies for Secondary Students, A Curriculum Guide" (PDF). Education Resources Information Center. University of Connecticut. p. 4. Archived from the original (PDF) on 11 July 2020. Thomas Corwin, a Governor of Ohio and the Secretary of the Treasury prior to the Civil War, belonged to another Armenian family that came to America in the colonial days as refugees from Hungary.
  5. ^ Arakelian, Leeza (31 July 2019). "US Warship Commissioned in Honor of Armenian-American, Paul Ignatius". The Armenian Weekly. Archived from the original on 6 December 2020. Retrieved 6 December 2020.
  6. ^ Martin, Douglas (22 July 2006). "Robert Mardian, 82, Nixon Campaign Lawyer, Dies". The New York Times. His father was an Armenian refugee from what had been the Ottoman Empire...
  7. ^ "Socialist Workers Party v. Attorney General of U.S." casetext.com. Archived from the original on 6 December 2020. Retrieved 6 December 2020. Mardian was Assistant Attorney General in charge of the Internal Security Division of the Department of Justice from 7 November 1970 until March 1972.
  8. ^ a b c "Harry Kamian". state.gov. Archived from the original on 6 June 2024.
  9. ^ a b "Armenian-American Senior Advisor Harry Kamian controversially welcomed in Azerbaijan for Baku Energy Week". Armenian National Committee of America Eastern Region. Archived from the original on 5 June 2024 – via Twitter.
  10. ^ a b "Statement of Jeffrey Marootian". energy.senate.gov. Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, United States Senate. 17 November 2022. Archived from the original on 16 August 2023. My great grandparents came to this country from Armenia
  11. ^ "Jeff Marootian". energy.gov. Archived from the original on 19 February 2024.
  12. ^ "Persons". history.state.gov. Archived from the original on 3 December 2023. Director, White House Office of Speechwriting and Deputy Assistant to the President from November 17, 1981, until September 1983
  13. ^ Merry, Robert W. (17 October 2022). "Remembering Aram Bakshian". The American Conservative. Archived from the original on 13 August 2023. joined the Ronald Reagan White House as director of the speechwriting team
  14. ^ "President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris Announce Additional Members of White House Staff". buildbackbetter.gov. President-Elect Joe Biden: Official Transition Website. 15 January 2021. Archived from the original on 16 January 2021.
  15. ^ Ghazanchyan, Siranush (16 January 2021). "Biden names Armenian American Ike Hajinazarian as Regional Communications Director at White House". armradio.am. Public Radio of Armenia. Archived from the original on 16 January 2021.
  16. ^ Lazo, Luz (15 January 2021). "D.C. transportation director leaving to join Biden administration's climate team". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 17 January 2021.
  17. ^ Ghazanchyan, Siranush (17 January 2021). "Armenian American Jeff Marootian joins Joe Biden's climate team". armradio.am. Public Radio of Armenia. Archived from the original on 17 January 2021. Retrieved 17 January 2021.
  18. ^ "Arrival Message from Amb. John N. Nkengasong, U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator and Special Representative for Global Health Diplomacy". state.gov. U.S. Department of State. 13 June 2022. Archived from the original on 16 May 2023. Jirair Ratevosian will serve as Acting Chief of Staff.
  19. ^ Haddad, Simha (25 May 2023). "Queer, Armenian, global health leader; now political candidate". Los Angeles Blade. Archived from the original on 2 June 2023.
  20. ^ Arakelian, Leeza (30 August 2021). "Jirair Ratevosian tapped for US State Department role". Armenian Weekly. Archived from the original on 15 May 2023. A son of immigrants from Lebanon and Armenia...
  21. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v Adalian, Rouben Paul (2010). Historical Dictionary of Armenia. Lanham, Maryland: Scarecrow Press. pp. 254–255. ISBN 978-0-8108-7450-3.
  22. ^ a b Saxon, Wolfgang (20 April 2007). "Steven B. Derounian, 89, Judge and Nassau Ex-Congressman, Dies". The New York Times. Steven Boghos Derounian was born in Sofia, Bulgaria, to Armenian parents who had fled persecution at the fall of the Ottoman Empire.
  23. ^ a b Sutton, Charlotte (25 February 1985). "Armenian Salute". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 6 December 2020. ...other prominent Armenians taking part in the tribute were Rep. Charles (Chip) Pashayan (R-Calif.), George Keverian, speaker of the Massachusetts House of Representatives, and former U.S. representative to the United Nations Set Momjian...
  24. ^ "Eshoo Hails Historic Passage of Armenian Genocide Resolution". eshoo.house.gov. Congresswoman Anna G. Eshoo. 30 October 2019. Archived from the original on 6 December 2020. Retrieved 6 December 2020. Congresswoman Anna G. Eshoo (D-CA), the only Armenian-Assyrian Member of Congress...
  25. ^ Barlette, Kristi Gustafson (3 December 2018). "20 things you don't know about me: John Sweeney". Times Union. Archived from the original on 6 December 2020. Retrieved 6 December 2020. 2. I am of Irish and Armenian descent.
  26. ^ "User Clip: Rep Jackie Speier, Co-Chair of the Armenian Issues Caucus, on Armenian Genocide". c-span.org. C-SPAN. 29 October 2019. Archived from the original on 6 December 2020. Retrieved 20 March 2021. Congresswoman Jackie Speier, a co-chair of the House Armenian Issues Caucus and one of only three members of Congress of Armenian heritage...
  27. ^ Rep. Anthony Brindisi (25 April 2020). "Today marks the 105th anniversary of the Armenian genocide". Archived from the original on 6 December 2020. Retrieved 6 December 2020 – via Twitter. ...as 1 of 3 members of Congress of Armenian descent...
  28. ^ Rep. Anthony Brindisi (1 November 2019). "Recognizing and condemning the Armenian Genocide". Archived from the original on 6 December 2020. Retrieved 6 December 2020 – via Facebook. As one of three members of Congress of Armenian descent, I stood with the Armenian community...
  29. ^ "Hon. Dickran M. Tevrizian, Jr. (Ret.)". lacounty.gov. Los Angeles County: Citizens' Commission on Jail Violence. Archived from the original on 24 February 2021. He is the first Armenian-American to have served as a Federal Judge in the history of the United States.
  30. ^ "Samuel Der-Yeghiayan to Speak at Franklin Pierce Commencement". Bar News. New Hampshire Bar Association. 20 May 2005. Archived from the original on 25 March 2017. The Honorable Samuel Der-Yeghiayan is the first Armenian immigrant...
  31. ^ "After Distinguished Career, Judge Der-Yeghiayan to Retire" (PDF). uscourts.gov. United States District Court. 18 December 2017. Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 August 2021. Born in Aleppo, Syria, to Armenian parents, Judge Der-Yeghiayan...
  32. ^ a b c d "George Deukmejian". The Governors' Gallery, California State Library. Retrieved 12 December 2012.
  33. ^ a b c Bakalian, Anny (2011). Armenian-Americans: from being to feeling Armenian. Somerset, N.J.: Transaction. p. 176. ISBN 9781412842273.
  34. ^ a b c "Brad Avakian". My Civil Rights Story. Archived from the original on 22 September 2013. Retrieved 19 September 2013.
  35. ^ a b "Kaprielian Appointed Registrar of Motor Vehicles". Armenian Mirror-Spectator. 30 May 2008. Retrieved 28 December 2012.
  36. ^ a b Matos, Alejandra (22 May 2012). "Armenian Heritage Park opens to honor immigrants". The Boston Globe. Retrieved 28 December 2012.
  37. ^ "Office History". da.lacounty.gov. Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office. Archived from the original on 18 August 2021.
  38. ^ Ofgang, Kenneth (14 January 2008). "Ex-District Attorney Earns Respect as Advocate, Advisor, and Activist". Metropolitan News-Enterprise. Archived from the original on 21 October 2020. Much has been made of the fact that Philibosian and Deukmejian share an Armenian heritage...
  39. ^ a b "Armenian Bar Association's Michael Amerian and Amy Ashvanian Appointed to the California Judicial Bench". armenianbar.org. Armenian Bar Association. 28 February 2018. Archived from the original on 27 January 2021.
  40. ^ Keushkerian, Kevork (8 August 2019). "Meet Judge Armenui Amy Ashvanian". The Armenian Mirror-Spectator. Archived from the original on 8 August 2019.
  41. ^ Burbank, Garin (Fall 1991). "Governor Reagan and California Welfare Reform: The Grand Compromise of 1971". California History. 70 (3). California Historical Society: 281. doi:10.2307/25158570. JSTOR 25158570. ...Moretti was a superb legislative leader. He was the son of immigrant parents: his father was an Italian-born chef, his mother Armenian.
  42. ^ Cannon, Lou (2003). Governor Reagan: His Rise To Power. PublicAffairs. p. 354. ISBN 9781586480301. His [Moretti's] father was born in Italy, and his mother was of Armenian descent.
  43. ^ a b Bulbulian, Berge (2000). The Fresno Armenians: history of a diaspora community. Fresno, CA: Press at California State University, Fresno. p. 161. ISBN 9780912201351.
  44. ^ "ANC PAC Hosts Fundraiser for Congressional Candidate Howard Kaloogian". Asbarez. 3 March 2006. Retrieved 28 December 2012.
  45. ^ "Ruth Munson". Archived from the original on 20 September 2021. Retrieved 20 September 2021 – via Twitter. My grandparents survived the Armenian Genocide.
  46. ^ "Shirley Nordigian". ilga.gov. Illinois General Assembly. Archived from the original on 20 September 2021. Retrieved 20 September 2021. ...former State Representative Ruth Munson...
  47. ^ a b c d e Sassounian, Harut (13 November 2012). "Armenian-Americans Score Major Gains in US Elections". The Armenian Weekly. Retrieved 27 December 2012.
  48. ^ Igoe, Katherine J (24 September 2020). "In Maine, Sara Gideon Could Help Flip the Senate". Marie Claire. Archived from the original on 21 November 2020. Retrieved 21 November 2020. Her father immigrated from India; her maternal grandparents fled the Armenian genocide.
  49. ^ Gregg, Katherine (11 January 2021). "Shekarchi elevates Kazarian, Ackerman to leadership roles in House". The Providence Journal. Archived from the original on 1 October 2021. With eight great-grandparents who survived the Armenian Genocide of 1915, she and her family have been very active in Rhode Island's Armenian community.
  50. ^ Wiggins, Ovetta; Hernández, Arelis R. (5 February 2020). "Meet the freshman class of the Maryland General Assembly". The Washington Post. Retrieved 15 December 2023.
  51. ^ "26-year-old Democrat Mari Manoogian Flips Michigan State House District 40". Massis Post. 7 November 2018. Retrieved 11 November 2018.
  52. ^ Der Mugrdechian, Barlow. "Walter Karabian Donates Political Papers to Central Valley Political Archive at Henry Madden Library". Armenian Studies Program, California State University, Fresno. Archived from the original on 14 June 2010. Retrieved 28 December 2012.
  53. ^ Korecki, Natasha (24 April 2021). "'Of course it's genocide': How Biden fulfilled a promise to Armenians that Obama wouldn't". Politico. Archived from the original on 16 September 2021. Harpootlian, a South Carolina state senator and former Democratic party chair who is also of Armenian descent...
  54. ^ "Sanford's Ataturk reference draws fire from Armenians". Spartanburg Herald-Journal. (via Associated Press). 25 January 2003. Archived from the original on 16 September 2021. Retrieved 16 September 2021. ...state Democratic Party chairman Dick Harpootlian, also of Armenian descent.
  55. ^ a b "Past Mayors of Waukegan". City of Waukegan. Archived from the original on 3 March 2010. Retrieved 14 August 2012.
  56. ^ a b c "History of Lodi's Mayors". City of Lodi. Retrieved 8 February 2024.
  57. ^ "Bozant 'Bo' Katzakian, Lodi civic icon, dies at 94". Lodi News-Sentinel. Retrieved 8 February 2024.
  58. ^ Mitchell, Garrett (25 November 2015). "Former Phoenix Mayor Sam Mardian dies at 96". The Arizona Republic. Archived from the original on 26 November 2015. Retrieved 6 December 2020. Mardian, the son of Armenian immigrants...
  59. ^ DiCanio, Margaret (2002). Memory fragments from the Armenian genocide : a mosaic of shared heritage. New York: Mystery and Suspense Press. p. 224. ISBN 9780595238651.
  60. ^ McCabe, Kathy (16 September 2004). "Peabody takes pride in memory of Torigian". The Boston Globe. Retrieved 17 August 2012.
  61. ^ "OVERSIGHT OF THE 2000 CENSUS: COMMUNITY-BASED APPROACHES FOR A BETTER ENUMERATION". govinfo.gov. Washington: United States Government Publishing Office. 28 June 1999. Archived from the original on 2 September 2020. Mayor Antaramian representing the Armenian population.
  62. ^ "Bill Paparian Biography". Retrieved 19 September 2013.
  63. ^ Vartabedian, Tom (14 April 2011). "Sixth term a charm for Mayor Scott Avedisian". The Armenian Reporter. Archived from the original on 15 January 2013. Retrieved 14 August 2012.
  64. ^ Kenneth C. Crowe II (28 December 2011). "His taste for politics began with a lunch". The New York Times. Retrieved 17 August 2012.
  65. ^ Lurie, George. "Council picks Shuklian to be Visalia's new mayor". Valley Voice. Retrieved 31 August 2012.[permanent dead link‍]
  66. ^ "Marina Khubesrian, M.D., 2018 Woman of the Year, City of South Pasadena". southpasadenaca.gov. City of South Pasadena. 16 March 2018. Archived from the original on 8 May 2022. She served as Mayor for the 2013–2014 term. [...] When she was just 10 years old, Dr. Khubesrian and her family emigrated from Armenia.
  67. ^ Glazier, Bill (1 August 2019). "'It Takes a Village': Mayor Dr. Marina Khubesrian Gives Mid-Year Update". South Pasadenan. Archived from the original on 4 August 2019.
  68. ^ Sprague, Mike (25 November 2014). "Montebello Councilman Jack Hadjinian elected mayor". Whittier Daily News. Retrieved 26 November 2014.
  69. ^ "Mayors' Gallery". glendaleca.gov. City of Glendale, CA. Archived from the original on 8 May 2022.
  70. ^ a b "Naming Ambassador Nina Hachigian as Special Representative for Subnational Diplomacy". state.gov. U.S. Department of State. 3 October 2022. Archived from the original on 4 October 2022.
  71. ^ "Ambassador Nina Hachigian". lamayor.org. City of Los Angeles. Archived from the original on 21 June 2022.
  72. ^ "Ambassador Djerejian speaks at American University of Armenia". bakerinstitute.org. James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy. 28 April 2016. Archived from the original on 14 December 2020. Retrieved 14 December 2020. He briefly introduced himself as the son of an Armenian Genocide survivor and noted that his native language is Armenian.
  73. ^ Kuang-tsi Wang (王光慈) (11 July 2010). "多元、機會 許一個美國夢…AIT處長司徒文開講" [Diversity, opportunity and dream an American Dream... a speech by AIT Director William Stanton]. United Daily News. p. A14.
  74. ^ Joerg, W. L. G. (December 1936). "Memoir of Leon Dominian". Annals of the Association of American Geographers. 26 (4): 197–198. doi:10.1080/00045603609357153.
  75. ^ "Retired Foreign Service Officer Edward Alexander to Deliver 12th Annual Vardanants Day Armenian Lecture". loc.gov. Library of Congress. 24 March 2005. Archived from the original on 29 January 2021. Born in 1920 in New York City of Armenian parents [...] During one tour in Washington, he was appointed deputy director for the Soviet Union and East Europe...
  76. ^ "In Memoriam: Edward Alexander (1920–2023) ~ NAASR Lecturer and Member, Diplomat, and Author". naasr.org. National Association for Armenian Studies and. Research (NAASR). 5 October 2023. Archived from the original on 17 November 2023.
  77. ^ "Barry Zorthian dies at 90; U.S. diplomat and press spokesman in Vietnam War". Los Angeles Times. Associated Press. Archived from the original on 10 October 2017.
  78. ^ Hevesi, Dennis (23 June 2012). "Edward N. Costikyan, Adviser to New York Politicians, Is Dead at 87". The New York Times. His father, Mihran, an Armenian immigrant from Turkey, was a rug merchant.
  79. ^ Campbell, Colin (14 February 2013). "Attorney Announces Campaign Against Nydia Velázquez". observer.com. Observer Media. Archived from the original on 1 December 2020. I am a proud American with diverse roots ranging from Armenian to English, Irish and Scottish descent.
  80. ^ Collins, Peter B. (15 October 2020). "In-Depth Interview: Journalist Terry Phillips Explains the New War Over Nagorno-Karabakh". The Peter B. Collins Show. Archived from the original on 27 January 2021. With his Greek-Armenian heritage...
  81. ^ Arakelian, Leeza (30 August 2021). "Jirair Ratevosian tapped for US State Department role". The Armenian Weekly. Retrieved 28 May 2023.
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