Victor “Vic” Frederick Snyder, M.D., served as an Arkansas state senator (1991-1996) and as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, representing Arkansas’s Second Congressional District (1997-2011). Prior to his political career, Snyder served in the U.S. Marine Corps and obtained both a medical and a legal degree.
GROWING UP IN
Oregon
Snyder was born on September 27, 1947, in Medford, Oregon, to Donald E. Snyder (1920-1986) and Marjorie Bloomingcamp Snyder (1921-2000). His parents divorced when Snyder was three years old, leaving his mother to raise him and his younger sister, Karen, as a single, working parent in Medford. Though Snyder’s small family lacked a father in the house, he benefited from a loving, extended family. Marjorie’s parents, Fred and Minnie Bloomingcamp, encouraged Snyder and his sister to stay with them at least once a month at their northern California ranch, leaving him with fond memories of rural life. In addition, Marjorie’s brother, Charles, was a supportive father figure in young Snyder’s life and participated in the family’s birthdays and holiday gatherings.
During his middle school years, Snyder was involved in Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts, tennis, and youth groups in the Presbyterian Church. He attended Medford High School where he pursued advanced placement classes, achieved good grades, joined the debate team, played the clarinet in the school band, and chaired the Teen Age Republicans committee.
BECOMING A
Family Practitioner
While serving in Vietnam, Snyder was drawn to the medical profession. After his return from Vietnam in 1969, Snyder worked a variety of jobs such as an emergency medical technician, an orderly in a hospital, and a nurse’s aide in a nursing home, which reinforced his interest in medicine. He returned to Willamette University and graduated in 1975 with an undergraduate degree in chemistry.
In 1979, he furthered his education and graduated with a medical degree (M.D.) from the University of Oregon Health Sciences Center in Portland. He went on to complete a family practice residency in 1982 at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) in Little Rock. Snyder was drawn to an Arkansas residency as it required a rural health elective, which was compatible with his post-residency vision of providing rural health care in developing nations.
ENGAGING IN
Politics
In 1985, Snyder enrolled in the University of Arkansas at Little Rock William H. Bowen School of Law and graduated with a law degree (J.D.) in 1988. He never practiced law, but felt the degree was a “great foundation [and] background for asking questions.”1
Snyder’s early interest in government and politics came full circle in 1990 when he ran for a position in the Arkansas State Senate against Democrat incumbent Doug Brandon – and won.
For More Information:
- Victor F. Snyder, interview by Scott Lunsford, Little Rock, Arkansas, August 23, 2012– 3:58:19, 2:40:30, “Arkansas Memories Project,” The David and Barbara Pryor Center for Arkansas Oral and Visual History.
Nelson, Rex. “Snyder Settles in as a Rebel in Senate Without a Cause.” Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. April 6, 1993.
Teske, Steven. “Victor F. Snyder (1947–).” Encyclopedia of Arkansas. Central Arkansas Library System. Last modified August 21, 2015. https://encyclopediaofarkansas.net/entries/victor-f-snyder-4655/.
“Victor F. Snyder.” Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Accessed March 8, 2022. https://bioguide.congress.gov/search/bio/S000672.
Victor F. Snyder interview by Scott Lunsford. August 23, 2012. Arkansas Memories Project. The David and Barbara Pryor Center for Arkansas Oral and Visual History, Fayetteville, AR.
About the Author:
Kaye Lundgren is an archival assistant at the UA Little Rock Center for Arkansas History and Culture. She worked on processing the Victor F. Snyder Congressional Papers.