Carlos Clark Van Leer (October 15, 1865 – November 3, 1953) was an American military officer who served in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

during the

Spanish-American War Spanish Americans (, ''hispanoestadounidenses'', or ''hispanonorteamericanos'') are Americans whose ancestry originates wholly or partly from Spain. They are the longest-established European American group in the modern United States, with a ...

and as Chief of the Personnel Classification Board in the

United States Department of the Treasury The Department of the Treasury (USDT) is the Treasury, national treasury and finance department of the federal government of the United States. It is one of 15 current United States federal executive departments, U.S. government departments. ...

. He was a member of the influential Van Leer family.

Early life and education

Van Leer was born on October 15, 1865 in

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville, often known as Music City, is the capital and List of municipalities in Tennessee, most populous city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County in Middle Tennessee, locat ...

, to Samuel Van Leer and Alice Clark. He graduated with a degree in law from

Vanderbilt University Vanderbilt University (informally Vandy or VU) is a private university, private research university in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. Founded in 1873, it was named in honor of shipping and railroad magnate Cornelius Vanderbilt, who provide ...

in 1895. He married Harriet Taylor Draper in Washington, Kansas on August 23, 1905. He was a member of the influential Van Leer family and his great-grandfather

Samuel Van Leer Captain Samuel Van Leer (January 7, 1747 – October 15, 1825) was a military officer from Pennsylvania who served as a captain in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War and as a lieutenant in the Chester County Light Horse Vo ...

was a captain in the Continental Army during the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...

. Both his sons Anthony and Carlos served as military officers. His son Anthony Wayne Van Leer also had a long prominent military career as an officer in the Navy. After graduating from Dartmouth as an engineer, Anthony served during World War II and later worked for the White House on various engineering projects. His son Carlos graduated from

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Stat ...

and served as an officer during multiple wars.

Career

Van Leer served in the US Army as a

first lieutenant First lieutenant is a commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces; in some forces, it is an appointment. The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations, but in most forces it is sub-divided into a se ...

and was promoted to captain. He served in the

Spanish–American War The Spanish–American War (April 21 – August 13, 1898) was fought between Restoration (Spain), Spain and the United States in 1898. It began with the sinking of the USS Maine (1889), USS ''Maine'' in Havana Harbor in Cuba, and resulted in the ...

and returned home to work as a government official running the treasury branch in Tennessee Van Leer served as the assistant director for the

Office of Management and Budget The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) is the largest office within the Executive Office of the President of the United States (EOP). The office's most prominent function is to produce the president's budget, while it also examines agency pro ...

and later worked as the Chief of the Personnel Classification Board in the

. Van Leer died on November 3, 1953, and was interred at

Arlington National Cemetery Arlington National Cemetery is the largest cemetery in the United States National Cemetery System, one of two maintained by the United States Army. More than 400,000 people are buried in its 639 acres (259 ha) in Arlington County, Virginia. ...

Citations

{{DEFAULTSORT:Van Leer, Carlos Clark 1865 births 1953 deaths Burials at Arlington National Cemetery Military personnel from Nashville, Tennessee United States Army officers United States Department of the Treasury officials Vanderbilt University alumni Van Leer family