Courken George Deukmejian Jr. (/djuːkˈmeɪdʒən/[4] dyook-MAY-jən; June 6, 1928 – May 8, 2018) was an American politician who served as the 35th governor of California from 1983 to 1991.

In 1970, Deukmejian unsuccessfully ran for Attorney General of California, finishing fourth in the Republican primary.

Although opinion polls showed that Bradley had a favorable lead in the race, Deukmejian narrowly won the election outright.

As governor, Deukmejian made a name for being tough on crime, presenting himself to be in favor of "law and order".

Deukmejian retired from front-line politics in 1991 and was succeeded as governor by fellow Republican Pete Wilson.

His father, Courken George Deukmejian, whose sister was killed during the Armenian Genocide,[8][9] was a rug merchant born in Aintab.

[14][15] Deukmejian moved to California in 1955 where his sister, Anna Ashjian, was living and there was a large Armenian community.

[1] Deukmejian entered politics in California after a short period of private legal practice in Long Beach alongside Malcolm M.

[22] He strongly criticized the Supreme Court of California, which was dominated by Brown appointees, notably controversial Chief Justice Rose Bird.

[27] Deukmejian narrowly defeated Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley in the general election.

[28] The victory came despite opinion polls leading up to the election that consistently showed Bradley with a lead, and despite exit polling conducted after voting closed that led some news organizations on the night of the election to make early projections of a Bradley victory.

[38] He rejected the legislature's demands for tax hikes, and pared $1.1 billion from its budget by selectively vetoing spending items.

[39] One year later, further cuts, along with a nationwide economic rebound that benefited the state, created a billion dollar surplus for 1985.

[18] As a candidate for re-election, in 1986 he opposed the retention election of three Brown-appointed justices of the Supreme Court of California due to their consistent opposition to the death penalty in any and all circumstances.

[37] In 1988, then-Vice President George H. W. Bush considered Deukmejian as a possible running mate for the presidential election that year.

[47] During a trade mission to South Korea in August, Deukmejian sent a letter saying he could not be considered for nomination, refusing to leave the governorship to Democratic Lieutenant Governor Leo T.

[26] The Republicans instead nominated sitting United States Senator Pete Wilson, who defeated Dianne Feinstein in the general election.

[18] On October 1, 1989, Deukmejian signed legislation authorizing the purchasing of health insurance by uninsured Californians suffering from catastrophic serious illnesses, such as AIDS, cancer, diabetes, and heart disease, to be funded through tobacco tax revenues.

[48] In 1991, in his last days in office, he vetoed the property tax exemption bill that applied to companies building solar in California.