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Victor H. Ashe, II

Ambassador
Douglas Henry State Museum Commission

Knoxville, TN

The Honorable Victor Ashe, II was the 25th United States Ambassador to Poland. He was elected mayor of Knoxville, TN in 1988 and served until 2003, making him the city’s longest serving mayor. He also served six years as a Tennessee state representative (1968 to 1974) and nine years as a state senator (1975 to 1984).

Ashe has been appointed by former U.S. Presidents Ronald Reagan, George H. W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama to federal positions.

Among his accomplishments, Ashe authored Tennessee’s Natural Areas Preservation Act and Tennessee's Presidential Primary Law. As Knoxville’s mayor he tripled the size of the city’s park system and added 40 miles of greenways. He was formerly president of the U.S. Conference of Mayors as well as president of the Tennessee Municipal League.

Ashe was appointed  to the Douglas Hentry State Museum Commission by Lieutenant Governor Ron Ramsey on October 9, 2009 and was elected Chairman of the Commission at the inaugural meeting on January 20, 2010. He currently serves at the Collections Acquisitions Committee Chair.

Ashe received a bachelor of arts degree in history from Yale University. He received his law degree from the University of Tennessee College of Law.

Ashe is married to the former Joan Plumlee and they have two children, Martha and J. Victor.