James Van Dyke
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James Adams Van Dyke (December 1813 – May 7, 1855) was a
lawyer A lawyer is a person who is qualified to offer advice about the law, draft legal documents, or represent individuals in legal matters. The exact nature of a lawyer's work varies depending on the legal jurisdiction and the legal system, as w ...
,
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and the 21st
mayor of Detroit This is a list of mayors of Detroit, in the U.S. state of Michigan. The current mayor is Mike Duggan, who was sworn into office on January 1, 2014. History of Detroit's executive authority During the earliest part of its history, Detroit was a ...
, Michigan. He was elected in 1847.


Early biography

James Adams Van Dyke was born in
Mercersburg, Pennsylvania Mercersburg is a borough (Pennsylvania), borough in Franklin County, Pennsylvania, United States. The borough is southwest of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, Harrisburg, the state capital. Due to its location in a rural area, it had a relatively la ...
in December, 1813, the son of William and Nancy Duncan Van Dyke. He graduated from Madison College in
Uniontown, Pennsylvania Uniontown is the largest city in Fayette County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. The population was 9,984 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Pittsburgh metropolitan area, southeast of Pittsburgh. History southeast of ...
in 1832, then studied law in
Chambersburg, Pennsylvania Chambersburg is a borough in and the county seat of Franklin County, Pennsylvania, Franklin County, in the South Central Pennsylvania, South Central region of Pennsylvania, United States. It is in the Cumberland Valley, which is part of the Gre ...
and
Hagerstown, Maryland Hagerstown is a city in Washington County, Maryland, United States, and its county seat. The population was 43,527 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Hagerstown ranks as Maryland's List of municipalities in Maryland, sixth-most popu ...
before moving to
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. In 1834, he moved to
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, second-most populous city in Pennsylvania (after Philadelphia) and the List of Un ...
, but was unhappy with his situation there and moved on to Detroit, where six months later was admitted to the
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. He began a practice with future
Michigan Supreme Court The Michigan Supreme Court is the highest court in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is Michigan's court of last resort and consists of seven justices. The Court is located in the Michigan Hall of Justice at 925 Ottawa Street in Lansing, the s ...
justice Charles W. Whipple in 1835, later partnering with, in turn, E. B. Harrington and H. H. Emmons, before leaving private practice in 1852 to become the attorney for the
Michigan Central Railroad The Michigan Central Railroad (reporting mark MC) was originally chartered in 1832 to establish rail service between Detroit, Michigan, and St. Joseph, Michigan. The railroad later operated in the states of Michigan, Indiana, and Illinois in th ...
. In 1837, he married Elizabeth Desnoyers; the couple had eleven children.


Public service

In 1835, Van Dyke was appointed City Attorney for Detroit; he also served in that capacity in 1839, and as Wayne County prosecuting attorney in 1840. He was a city alderman in 1843 and 1844, and was elected mayor in 1847. He was president of the
Detroit Fire Department The Detroit Fire Department (DFD) provides fire protection and emergency medical services to the U.S. city of Detroit, Michigan. The DFD operates 47 fire companies and 25 ambulances out of 36 fire stations located throughout the city, wit ...
from 1847-1851, and a member of the Board of Commissioners of the Detroit Water Works from 1853 until his death in 1855. Politically, Van Dyke was a Whig, and he was described as a brilliant and eloquent orator. James A. Van Dyke died on May 7, 1855.


See also

* Van Dyke, Michigan


References


Further reading

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Van Dyke, James A 1813 births 1855 deaths 19th-century mayors of places in Michigan Politicians from Franklin County, Pennsylvania Detroit City Council members Mayors of Detroit Michigan Whigs People from Michigan Territory