Representative Charles Pashayan

Charles Sahag “Chip” Pashayan Jr. (born March 27, 1941) is an American lawyer and politician from California who served as a Republican Representative from California in the United States Congress from 1979 to 1991. A member of the Republican Party, he represented the Fresno area in California’s Central Valley, a largely rural and conservative district, and contributed to the legislative process during six terms in office. He is of Armenian descent.

Pashayan was born in Fresno, California, on March 27, 1941, and grew up in that community. He attended Bullard High School in Fresno before pursuing higher education at Pomona College in Claremont, California, where he received a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1963. He continued his legal studies at the University of California, Hastings College of the Law in San Francisco, earning his Juris Doctor in 1968. He was admitted to the California bar in 1969, beginning his professional career as an attorney. Demonstrating a commitment to advanced study, he later attended the University of Oxford in England, where he earned a Bachelor of Letters (B.Litt.) degree in 1977. That same year, he was admitted to practice before the Supreme Court of the United States.

In addition to his academic and legal training, Pashayan served in the United States Army, entering active duty during the Vietnam era. From 1968 to 1970 he served at the rank of captain, gaining experience in leadership and public service that would inform his later political career. Following his military service, he worked in the federal government as special assistant to the general counsel of the U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, where he was involved in legal and policy matters in a major domestic cabinet department. His combined background in law, military service, and federal administration helped establish his credentials as he moved into electoral politics.

Pashayan’s congressional career began with the 1978 election, when he won his first term to the United States House of Representatives by defeating two-term Democratic incumbent John Hans Krebs. In that race he secured 54 percent of the vote to Krebs’s 46 percent, an upset victory that reflected shifting political currents in the Central Valley. Taking office on January 3, 1979, he served continuously through January 3, 1991, spanning the 96th through the 101st Congresses. During this period, he participated in the democratic process at the national level and represented the interests of his Central Valley constituents through a period marked by significant developments in American domestic and foreign policy.

As a member of the House of Representatives, Pashayan focused on issues important to his district and party, including agriculture, water, and economic concerns affecting the Fresno region and the broader Central Valley. He contributed to the legislative process in committee work, floor debates, and constituent advocacy, aligning generally with the conservative wing of the Republican Party during the late 1970s and 1980s. Among his notable legislative actions, he introduced a House resolution recognizing American chess grandmaster Bobby Fischer as the official World Chess Champion; this resolution passed in 1986, reflecting his interest in symbolic recognitions of American achievement.

Pashayan continued to represent his largely rural, conservative district throughout the 1980s, winning reelection to a total of six terms. His tenure in Congress coincided with the administrations of Presidents Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, and George H. W. Bush, and he participated in legislative deliberations on issues ranging from economic policy and federal spending to national defense and foreign affairs. In the 1990 election cycle, however, he was defeated for reelection by Democrat Cal Dooley, bringing his congressional service to a close at the end of the 101st Congress in January 1991.

After leaving Congress, Pashayan returned to private life and the practice of law, drawing on his extensive experience in federal legislation, legal practice, and public policy. His career reflects a trajectory from local roots in Fresno and rigorous academic training, through military and federal service, to more than a decade in the U.S. House of Representatives representing California’s Central Valley.