| Martin Donald Van Oosterhout | |
| Office: | Senior Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit |
| Term Start: | July 6, 1971 |
| Term End: | January 28, 1979 |
| Office1: | Chief Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit |
| Term Start1: | 1968 |
| Term End1: | 1970 |
| Predecessor1: | Charles Joseph Vogel |
| Successor1: | Marion Charles Matthes |
| Office2: | Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit |
| Term Start2: | August 26, 1954 |
| Term End2: | July 6, 1971 |
| Appointer2: | Dwight D. Eisenhower |
| Predecessor2: | Seth Thomas |
| Successor2: | Roy Laverne Stephenson |
| Office3: | Member of the Iowa House of Representatives from the 81st district |
| Term Start3: | January 9, 1939 |
| Term End3: | January 10, 1943 |
| Predecessor3: | Albert Beltman |
| Successor3: | Anthony Te Paske |
| Birth Name: | Martin Donald Van Oosterhout |
| Birth Date: | 10 October 1900 |
| Birth Place: | Orange City, Iowa |
| Party: | Republican |
| Children: | 1 |
| Mother: | Sarah |
| Father: | Peter |
| Education: | University of Iowa (BA) University of Iowa College of Law (JD) |
Martin Donald Van Oosterhout (October 10, 1900 – January 28, 1979) was a legislator and state court judge in northwestern Iowa, and a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit.
Born in Orange City, Iowa, Van Oosterhout received a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Iowa in 1922, and a Juris Doctor from the University of Iowa College of Law in 1924. He was in private practice in Orange City from 1924 to 1933. In the last four of those years (from 1929 to 1933) he also served as a Republican member of the Iowa House of Representatives. He was a Judge of the 21st Judicial District of Iowa from 1933 to 1954.
On August 16, 1954, Van Oosterhout was nominated by President Dwight D. Eisenhower to a seat on the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit vacated when a fellow Iowan, Judge Seth Thomas, assumed senior status. He was confirmed by the United States Senate on August 20, 1954, and received his commission on August 26, 1954. He served as Chief Judge and member of the Judicial Conference of the United States from 1968 to 1970. He assumed senior status on July 6, 1971. He was a Judge of the Temporary Emergency Court of Appeals from 1972 to 1977. He served in senior status until his death on January 28, 1979.
Van Oosterhout's parents were Peter and Sarah. He was married to Ethel Greenway, with whom he had one son, Peter Denne.[1]