Wade Van Valkenburg Explained

Wade Van Valkenburg
State House2:Michigan
District2:Kalamazoo County 1st
Term Start2:1947
Term End2:1956
Office:54th Speaker of the Michigan House of Representatives
Term Start:January 14, 1953
Term End:December 31, 1956
Governor:G. Mennen Williams
Predecessor:Victor A. Knox
Successor:George Van Peursem
Office3:Judge for Michigan's 9th Circuit
Term Start3:1965
Term End3:1967
Birth Date:16 January 1899
Birth Place:Tipton, Michigan
Death Place:Kalamazoo, Michigan
Party:Republican
Residence:Kalamazoo, Michigan
Alma Mater:Detroit College of Law
University of Michigan
Profession:Attorney
Teacher
Battles:World War I

Wade Van Valkenburg (January 16, 1899November 20, 1985) was a Republican politician from Michigan who served as the Speaker of the Michigan House of Representatives and as a local judge.

Born in Tipton on January 16, 1899, Van Valkenburg graduated from the University of Michigan and from the then-Detroit College of Law. He served in the United States Marine Corps during World War I.

After losing in the primary election in 1944, Van Valkenburg was elected to represent the 1st Kalamazoo district in the State House in 1946 and served until 1956. He was elected Speaker of the House for his final four years.

Nine years after leaving the House, Van Valkenburg became a circuit judge for Michigan's 9th Circuit, which consists of Kalamazoo County, where he served for three years. He was a member of the Freemasons, the Shriners, Kiwanis, and the American Legion.[1]

Van Valkenburg died on November 20, 1985, in Kalamazoo.[2]

In 2004, the Wade Van Valkenburg Trust established a scholarship program for students in Kalamazoo County who have been found guilty of a criminal offense and who can demonstrate how they have overcome adversity in their life.[3]

Notes and References

  1. http://politicalgraveyard.com/bio/vann-vanvorhis.html#874.48.07 The Political Graveyard: Van Valkenburg, Wade
  2. https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=110&dat=19851122&id=ehRQAAAAIBAJ&sjid=21UDAAAAIBAJ&pg=5018,6465302 The Ludington Daily News: Van Valkenburg Dies at Home (Nov. 22, 1985).
  3. http://www.kalfound.org/Scholarships/ScholarshipSearch/tabid/230/s/1318/Default.aspx Wade and Clio Van Valkenburg Scholarship - Scholarships - Kalamazoo Community Foundation