William R. Van Aken
Encyclopedia
William Russell Van Aken (December 1, 1912 – September 28, 1993) was an American
lawyer and politician from Ohio
.
, to Florence (Swallow) and William J. Van Aken, a former mayor and influential citizen of Shaker Heights, Ohio
. He graduated from Shaker Heights High School
in 1930 and received his B.S. from Lafayette College
in 1934 and his LL.B. from Western Reserve University Law College in 1937. He then was admitted to the bar in the same year, and operated his law office of Van Aken & Bond until his retirement in 1987.
A Republican
, Van Aken was a member of the Ohio House of Representatives
(1943–1944 and 1947–1948), the Shaker Heights City Council (1951–1955), and the Ohio Republican Party central and executive committees. He was president of the Ohio Bar Association (1958–1959) and co-founder of the National Conference of Bar Foundations.
He wrote Ohio Real Estate Law and Practice (1985), with Robert Hauser, and Buckeye Barristers (1980), a history of the Ohio Bar Association.
He married Dorothy Harrison in 1940 and had four children: Nancy, Mary Alice, Louise and William. He was a member of the Church of the Western Reserve, and was buried in Cleveland's Lake View Cemetery
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
lawyer and politician from Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
.
Biography
He was born in Cleveland, OhioCleveland, Ohio
Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border...
, to Florence (Swallow) and William J. Van Aken, a former mayor and influential citizen of Shaker Heights, Ohio
Shaker Heights, Ohio
Shaker Heights is a city in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, United States. As of the 2010 Census, the city population was 28,448. It is an inner-ring streetcar suburb of Cleveland that abuts the city on its eastern side.-Topography:Shaker Heights is located at...
. He graduated from Shaker Heights High School
Shaker Heights High School
Shaker Heights High School is a public high school located in Shaker Heights, Ohio, USA, in Greater Cleveland. The high school is the only public high school in the Shaker Heights City School District, which serves Shaker Heights and a small part of Cleveland...
in 1930 and received his B.S. from Lafayette College
Lafayette College
Lafayette College is a private coeducational liberal arts and engineering college located in Easton, Pennsylvania, USA. The school, founded in 1826 by James Madison Porter,son of General Andrew Porter of Norristown and citizens of Easton, first began holding classes in 1832...
in 1934 and his LL.B. from Western Reserve University Law College in 1937. He then was admitted to the bar in the same year, and operated his law office of Van Aken & Bond until his retirement in 1987.
A Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
, Van Aken was a member of the Ohio House of Representatives
Ohio House of Representatives
The Ohio House of Representatives is the lower house of the Ohio General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Ohio; the other house of the bicameral legislature being the Ohio Senate....
(1943–1944 and 1947–1948), the Shaker Heights City Council (1951–1955), and the Ohio Republican Party central and executive committees. He was president of the Ohio Bar Association (1958–1959) and co-founder of the National Conference of Bar Foundations.
He wrote Ohio Real Estate Law and Practice (1985), with Robert Hauser, and Buckeye Barristers (1980), a history of the Ohio Bar Association.
He married Dorothy Harrison in 1940 and had four children: Nancy, Mary Alice, Louise and William. He was a member of the Church of the Western Reserve, and was buried in Cleveland's Lake View Cemetery
Lake View Cemetery
Lake View Cemetery is located on the east side of the City of Cleveland, Ohio, along the East Cleveland and Cleveland Heights borders. There are over 104,000 people buried at Lake View, with more than 700 burials each year. There are remaining for future development. Known locally as "Cleveland's...
.