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 practices law. The role of a lawyer varies greatly across different legal jurisdictions. A lawyer can be classified as an advocate, attorney, barrister, canon lawyer, civil law notary, counsel, counselor, solic ...
, fireman and the 21st mayor of Detroit, Michigan. He was elected in 1847.


Early biography

James Adams Van Dyke was born in
Mercersburg, Pennsylvania Mercersburg is a borough in Franklin County, located near the southern border of Pennsylvania, United States. The borough is southwest of Harrisburg, the state capital. Due to its location in a rural area, it had a relatively large percentage ...
in December, 1813, the son of William and Nancy Duncan Van Dyke. He graduated from Madison College in Uniontown, Pennsylvania in 1832, then studied law in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania and
Hagerstown, Maryland Hagerstown is a city in Washington County, Maryland, United States and the county seat of Washington County. The population of Hagerstown city proper at the 2020 census was 43,527, and the population of the Hagerstown metropolitan area (exten ...
before moving to
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. In 1834, he moved to
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...
, but was unhappy with his situation there and moved on to Detroit, where six months later was admitted to the
bar Bar or BAR may refer to: Food and drink * Bar (establishment), selling alcoholic beverages * Candy bar * Chocolate bar Science and technology * Bar (river morphology), a deposit of sediment * Bar (tropical cyclone), a layer of cloud * Bar (u ...
. He began a practice with future Michigan Supreme Court justice
Charles W. Whipple Charles W. Whipple (1805, Fort Wayne, Indiana – January 1856) was an American attorney, politician who served as Speaker of the Michigan House of Representatives, and chief justice of the Michigan Supreme Court. He was the secretary of the ...
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 incorporated in 1846 to establish rail service between Detroit, Michigan, and St. Joseph, Michigan. The railroad later operated in the states of Michigan, Indiana, and Illinois in ...
. 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 out of 36 fire stations located throughout the city, with a total sworn perso ...
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. VanDyke died on May 7, 1855.


See also

*
Van Dyke, Michigan Van Dyke was a community along the northern boundary of Detroit, Michigan, near Van Dyke Avenue and 9 Mile Road. The town was named for Van Dyke Avenue, which was named for James Van Dyke, Mayor of Detroit in 1847. This was in the southern end of w ...


References


Further reading

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Van Dyke, James A 1813 births 1855 deaths American people of Dutch descent Politicians from Franklin County, Pennsylvania Detroit City Council members Mayors of Detroit Michigan Whigs 19th-century American politicians