George Thomas VanBebber was a United States federal judge

United States federal judge

In the United States, the title of federal judge usually means a judge appointed by the President of the United States and confirmed by the United States Senate in accordance with Article II of the United States Constitution....

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Born in Troy, Kansas

Troy, Kansas

Troy is a city in and the county seat of Doniphan County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 1,010. Troy is part of the St. Joseph, MO–KS Metropolitan Statistical Area.-History:...

, VanBebber received a B.A. from the University of Kansas

University of Kansas

The University of Kansas is a public research university and the largest university in the state of Kansas. KU campuses are located in Lawrence, Wichita, Overland Park, and Kansas City, Kansas with the main campus being located in Lawrence on Mount Oread, the highest point in Lawrence. The...

 in 1953 and an LL.B. from the University of Kansas School of Law

University of Kansas School of Law

The University of Kansas School of Law is a public law school located on the main campus of the University of Kansas in Lawrence, Kansas. The University of Kansas Law School was founded in 1893, replacing the earlier Department of Law, which had existed since 1878. The school has more than 50...

 in 1955.

He then entered private practice in Troy until 1959, when he became an assistant United States Attorney

United States Attorney

United States Attorneys represent the United States federal government in United States district court and United States court of appeals. There are 93 U.S. Attorneys stationed throughout the United States, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, and the Northern Mariana Islands...

 for the District of Kansas until 1961, thereafter returning to private practice until 1982. During that time, he was County attorney for Doniphan County, Kansas

Doniphan County, Kansas

Doniphan County is a county located in Northeast Kansas, in the Central United States. As of the 2010 census, the county population was 7,945. Its county seat is Troy and its most populous city is Wathena. The county along with Buchanan, Andrew, and DeKalb counties in Missouri is included in...

 from 1963 to 1969, and served a term as a member of the Kansas House of Representatives

Kansas House of Representatives

The Kansas House of Representatives is the lower house of the Kansas Legislature, the legislative body of the U.S. State of Kansas. Composed of 125 state representatives from districts with roughly equal populations of at least 19,000, its members are responsible for crafting and voting on...

 from 1973 to 1975.

In 1982, VanBebber became a United States magistrate judge

United States magistrate judge

In the United States federal courts, magistrate judges are appointed to assist United States district court judges in the performance of their duties...

 for the United States District Court for the District of Kansas

United States District Court for the District of Kansas

The United States District Court for the District of Kansas is the federal district court whose jurisdiction is the state of Kansas. The Court operates out of the Robert J. Dole United States Courthouse in Kansas City, the Frank Carlson Federal Building in Topeka, and the United States Courthouse...

. On September 13, 1989, he was nominated by President George H. W. Bush

George H. W. Bush

George Herbert Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 41st President of the United States . He had previously served as the 43rd Vice President of the United States , a congressman, an ambassador, and Director of Central Intelligence.Bush was born in Milton, Massachusetts, to...

 to a seat on that court vacated by Richard Dean Rogers

Richard Dean Rogers

Richard Dean Rogers is a United States federal judge.Born in Oberlin, Kansas, Rogers received a B.S. from Kansas State University in 1943. He was in the United States Army Air Force Captain, Bombardier during World War II, from 1943 to 1945. He received a J.D. from the University of Kansas School...

. He was confirmed by the United States Senate

United States Senate

The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...

 on November 21, 1989, and received his commission on December 8, 1989. He served as chief judge from 1995 to 2000, and assumed senior status

Senior status

Senior status is a form of semi-retirement for United States federal judges, and judges in some state court systems. After federal judges have reached a certain combination of age and years of service on the federal courts, they are allowed to assume senior status...

 on December 31, 2000. He continued to serve in that capacity until his death, in Prairie Village, Kansas

Prairie Village, Kansas

Prairie Village is a city in Johnson County, Kansas, United States, and is a suburb of Kansas City, Missouri. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 21,447.- History :...

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