Lawrence Van Buskirk Explained

Lawrence Van Buskirk
Order:5th
Office:Mayor of Bloomington, Indiana
Term Start:1891
Term End:1897
Predecessor:Morey M. Dunlap
Successor:A.M. Hadley
Birth Date:June 21, 1867
Death Date:November 21, 1910
Birth Place:Bloomington, Indiana
Alma Mater:Indiana University Bloomington, University of Michigan Law School
Residence:Bloomington, Indiana
Spouse:Alice Allen (m. 1891)
Party:Republican

Lawrence Van Buskirk (June 21, 1867 - November 21, 1910) was mayor of Bloomington, Indiana for eight years in the late 19th century. He was also postmaster and a bank president.[1] [2]

Education and career

He graduated from Indiana University, having studied philosophy[3] and law, and studied law degree one year at University of Michigan Law School in Ann Arbor, Michigan, having to withdraw due to ill health. He was, though, reported by the Royal Arch Masons of Indiana to have been admitted to the bar.[4] Buskirk was mayor of the city for eight years, postmaster, and president of the First National Bank in Bloomington, Indiana. At the time of his death, he was treasurer at Indiana University.

Personal life

Born in Bloomington on June 21, 1867, he was the son of George A. Buskirk and Martha A. (née Hardesty) Buskirk. His uncle was Samuel Hamilton Buskirk. Van Buskirk had four siblings, George, Phillip, Martha, and a sister who married Nat U. Hill, Sr. On April 22, 1891, Buskirk married Alice Allen,[5] and they had three children: Allen, Lawrence, Jr., and Martha.

He was a thirty-third degree Mason, having held the Indiana's second highest position of grand king of the Grand Chapter of Royal Arch Masons[6] and heir to commercial property in Bloomington.

He died at his home on November 21, 1910 and his funeral was held at Indiana University.

Further reading

Notes and References

  1. Book: History of Lawrence and Monroe Counties, Indiana: Their People, Industries, and Institutions. 1914. B.F. Bowen. 672–674.
  2. News: State School's Treasurer is Dead at Bloomington . November 22, 1910. 6 . The Indianapolis Star . Newspapers.com . May 26, 2018.
  3. Book: Indiana University Bulletin. 1917. The University. 49.
  4. Book: Freemasons. Indiana. Royal Arch Masons. Proceedings at the Annual Grand Convention of the Grand Chapter of the State of Indiana. 1911. Elder & Harkness.. 42–45.
  5. News: Minor City Matters. April 22, 1891. 6 . The Indianapolis Journal . Newspapers.com . May 26, 2018.
  6. News: Banks Close for Rites: Masons Bury Noted Member . November 26, 1910. 5 . The Indianapolis Star . Newspapers.com . May 26, 2018.