Heron Ardell "Pink" Van Gorden (October 9, 1926 – May 19, 2016) was an American politician and businessman.

Early life, education and military service

Van Gorden was born on October 9, 1926, in

Alma Center, Wisconsin Alma Center is a village in Jackson County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 503 at the 2010 census. The village is located within the Town of Alma. Geography Alma Center is located at (44.438046, -90.911890). According to the Un ...

. He graduated from Neilsville High School in

Neillsville, Wisconsin Neillsville is a city in Clark County in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The population was 2,384 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat. History The Ojibwa were the earliest known residents of the Neillsville area. The first settlers of Europe ...

. Van Gorden was an officer in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

and the

Wisconsin Army National Guard The Wisconsin Army National Guard ("Guard") has dual state and federal roles, and is jointly funded and maintained by both governments. Its federal mission is to provide trained units to the United States Army in time of war or national emergenc ...

Career

Van Gorden was involved with the family feed business. He served in the

Wisconsin Assembly The Wisconsin State Assembly is the lower house of the Wisconsin Legislature. Together with the smaller Wisconsin Senate, the two constitute the legislative branch of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Representatives are elected for two-year terms, e ...

from 1983 to 1993 and was a

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

. He died at the Clark County Health Care Center in

Owen, Wisconsin Owen is a city in Clark County in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The population was 940 at the 2010 census. Owen is located directly east of the village of Withee, which is about half the size of Owen. History In 1880 the Wisconsin Central Railr ...

.Heron Van Heron-obituary
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References

External links

* 1926 births 2016 deaths 20th-century American businesspeople People from Alma Center, Wisconsin People from Neillsville, Wisconsin Businesspeople from Wisconsin Republican Party members of the Wisconsin State Assembly National Guard (United States) officers Military personnel from Wisconsin United States Army officers Wisconsin National Guard personnel {{Wisconsin-WIAssembly-Republican-1920s-stub