Isaac Homer Van Winkle (December 3, 1870 – December 14, 1943) was an American attorney in the state of

Oregon Oregon ( , ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is a part of the Western U.S., with the Columbia River delineating much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while t ...

. A former dean of

Willamette University Willamette University is a Private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college with locations in Salem, Oregon, Salem and Portland, Oregon. Founded in 1842, it is the oldest college in the Western United ...

's law school, he served as the 6th

Attorney General of Oregon The Oregon attorney general is a statutory officer within the executive branch of the state of Oregon, and serves as the chief legal officer of the state, heading its Department of Justice with its six operating divisions. The attorney general is ...

for 23 years.

Early life

Van Winkle was born in

Linn County, Oregon Linn County is one of the Oregon counties, 36 counties in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2020 United States census, 2023 census population estimates, the population was 131,496. The county seat is Albany, Oregon, Albany. The county Oreg ...

, near the community of Halsey, to Isaac Newton Van Winkle and Elizabeth Ann Pearl.Descendants of Rev. Isaac Newton Van Winkle
RootsWeb. Retrieved on September 4, 2007. Isaac graduated from

Salem, Oregon Salem ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Oregon, and the county seat of Marion County, Oregon, Marion County. It is located in the center of the Willamette Valley alongside the Willamette River, w ...

, in 1898 with a Bachelor of Arts degree.Obituaries: Isaac H. Van Winkle. ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'', December 16, 1943. In 1901, he graduated from

Willamette University College of Law The Willamette University School of Law (previously known as the Willamette University College of Law) is the Law school in the United States, law school of Willamette University. Located in Salem, Oregon, Salem, Oregon, and founded in 1883, Wil ...

, where he later served as the sixth dean.Among Ourselves
'' Oregon State Bar Bulletin'', October 2003. Retrieved on September 4, 2007 On September 3, 1902, Isaac married Lella Velvetta Parrish, and they had one daughter named Rosalind. Lella died in 1918.

Public service

In 1904, Van Winkle began serving as an assistant attorney general for Oregon, remaining in the post until 1920 (though not from 1913 to 1915). He was an instructor at Willamette's law school from 1905 to 1913. That year he began his tenure as dean of the school, remaining until 1927. The Van Winkle Melton Endowed Professorship at Willamette is named in his honor. On October 14, 1920, Van Winkle was appointed as the sixth

Oregon Attorney General The Oregon attorney general is a statutory officer within the executive branch of the U.S. state, state of Oregon, and serves as the chief legal officer of the state, heading its Oregon Department of Justice, Department of Justice with its six op ...

Oregon Governor The governor of Oregon is the head of government of Oregon and serves as the commander-in-chief of the state's military forces. The title of governor was also applied to the office of Oregon's chief executive during the provisional and U.S. ter ...

Ben W. Olcott, to replace George M. Brown, who had resigned from the position.Earliest Authorities in Oregon - Attorneys General of Oregon
Oregon Secretary of State: ''Oregon Blue Book''. Retrieved on September 4, 2007. As a Republican, he was elected to a full four-year term later that year. Van Winkle won re-election in 1924, 1928, 1932, 1936, and 1940 before dying in office on December 14, 1943. Van Winkle's 23 years as Oregon's top lawyer are the longest of any

attorney general In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general (: attorneys general) or attorney-general (AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have executive responsibility for law enf ...

in the state's history. In 1938, he ran for a position on the

Oregon Supreme Court The Oregon Supreme Court (OSC) is the highest State court (United States), state court in the U.S. state of Oregon. The only court that may reverse or modify a decision of the Oregon Supreme Court is the Supreme Court of the United States.

, but lost and remained as Attorney General.The Political Graveyard: Index to Politicians: Vanwagenen to Vaudain
Retrieved on September 4, 2007.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vanwinkle, Isaac 1870 births 1943 deaths Oregon attorneys general Willamette University College of Law alumni Willamette University alumni Deans of Willamette University College of Law Politicians from Salem, Oregon American people of Dutch descent Lawyers from Salem, Oregon People from Halsey, Oregon Oregon Republicans 20th-century Oregon politicians