Arthur Earl Victor was born March 30, 1900 near Mayview, Washington. His family began homesteading in 1877 near Mayview, a town named for Victor's aunt. Victor spent his early years on his parent's wheat ranch in Garfield County; he went to high school in both Hillsboro, Oregon and Pullman, Washington and then joined the Navy in 1918. In 1921 Victor married Lila Mae Miller whom he met while attending Oregon State College after WWI. Together they worked the farm in Garfield County and Victor made an income as a carpenter and mechanic. In the mid 1920s, he went to North Idaho to work for lumber baron Fred Herrick. When Herrick's business collapsed in 1928, Victor turned to carpentry and construction to make ends meet. He and Lila also ran a flower business for a time.
During the mid 1930s, Victor began employment with the United States Soil Conservation Service. From 1935 to 1942 he managed 18 Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) camps in the Northwest. After his work with the CCC, Victor worked as a housing expeditor for the National Housing Agency (NHA). Much of his work for NHA included the operation of War Housing Centers in many Northwest cities to secure housing for WWII veterans. After the NHA housing expeditor's office in Spokane closed in the late 1940s, Victor obtained a position as executive secretary of the Home Builders Association of Spokane. He also worked for Mobile Homes Corp. and built 300 homes in the mid 1950s. Lila and A.E. Victor opened a home-based lapidary supply business in 1955 and ran this successfully for ten years before their retirement in 1965. In the years between his retirement and his death in 1987, Victor worked with Lila on their lapidary publishing business. He helped establish the first federal employees credit union in Spokane, served on the Mayor's committee to advise small businesses and was active in SCORE, the Service Corps of Retired Executives.
From the guide to the Arthur E. Victor Papers, 1882-1986, (Washington State University Libraries Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections)
