William Jacobus vanden Heuvel (April 14, 1930 – June 15, 2021) was an American attorney, businessman, author and diplomat of Belgian descent. He was known for advising
Robert F. Kennedy
Robert Francis Kennedy (November 20, 1925June 6, 1968), also known by his initials RFK and by the nickname Bobby, was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 64th United States Attorney General from January 1961 to September 1964, ...
during the latter's campaigns for
Senate
A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...
in
1964
Events January
* January 1 – The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland is dissolved.
* January 5 - In the first meeting between leaders of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches since the fifteenth century, Pope Paul VI and Patriarch ...
and
President
President most commonly refers to:
*President (corporate title)
*President (education), a leader of a college or university
*President (government title)
President may also refer to:
Automobiles
* Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...
in
1968. Vanden Heuvel established the
Roosevelt Institute
The Roosevelt Institute is a liberal American think tank. According to the organization, it exists "to carry forward the legacy and values of Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt by developing progressive ideas and bold leadership in the service of re ...
in 1987. He was the father of longtime editor of ''
The Nation
''The Nation'' is an American liberal biweekly magazine that covers political and cultural news, opinion, and analysis. It was founded on July 6, 1865, as a successor to William Lloyd Garrison's '' The Liberator'', an abolitionist newspaper tha ...
'' magazine
Katrina vanden Heuvel
Katrina vanden Heuvel (; born October 7, 1959) is an American editor and publisher. She is the publisher, part-owner, and former editor of the progressive magazine ''The Nation''. She was the magazine's editor from 1995 to 2019, when she was s ...
and actress
Wendy vanden Heuvel, children from his marriage to author-editor
Jean Stein
Jean Babette Stein (February 9, 1934 – April 30, 2017) was an American author and editor.
Early life
Stein was born to a Jewish family in Chicago. Her father was Jules C. Stein (1896–1981), co-founder of the Music Corporation of America (M ...
, the daughter of
MCA founder
Jules C. Stein
Jules C. Stein (April 26, 1896 – April 29, 1981) was an American physician and businessman who co-founded Music Corporation of America (MCA).
Early life and education
Stein was born in South Bend, Indiana, to Lithuanian Jewish immigrants, one ...
.
Early life and education
Vanden Heuvel was born in
Rochester, New York
Rochester () is a City (New York), city in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, the county seat, seat of Monroe County, New York, Monroe County, and the fourth-most populous in the state after New York City, Buffalo, New York, Buffalo, ...
, on April 14, 1930. His father, Joost, immigrated to the United States from the Netherlands and worked at an
R.T. French Company factory; his mother, Alberta (Demunter), immigrated from Belgium.
He attended public schools in New York. He attended
Deep Springs College
Deep Springs College (known simply as Deep Springs or DS) is a private, selective two-year college in Deep Springs, California. With the number of undergraduates restricted to 26, the college is one of the smallest institutions of higher educat ...
(Deep Springs does not "graduate" attendees) and graduated from
Cornell University
Cornell University is a private statutory land-grant research university based in Ithaca, New York. It is a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, Cornell was founded with the intention to teach an ...
, where he was a member of the
Cornell Branch of the Telluride Association
The Telluride House, formally the Cornell Branch of the Telluride Association (CBTA), and commonly referred to as just "Telluride", is a highly selective residential community of Cornell University students and faculty. Founded in 1910 by Ame ...
. While a student at
Cornell Law School
Cornell Law School is the law school of Cornell University, a private Ivy League university in Ithaca, New York. One of the five Ivy League law schools, it offers four law degree programs, JD, LLM, MSLS and JSD, along with several dual-deg ...
, he was editor-in-chief of the ''
Cornell Law Review
The ''Cornell Law Review'' is the flagship legal journal of Cornell Law School. Originally published in 1915 as the ''Cornell Law Quarterly'', the journal features scholarship in all fields of law. Notably, past issues of the ''Cornell Law Rev ...
'', served as president of the
Young Democrats and Debate Club, and was elected to the
Tompkins County Board of Commissioners.
He was admitted to the New York Bar in 1952, and then joined the law firm of
Donovan, Leisure, Newton & Irvine
Donovan, Leisure, Newton & Irvine was an American white-shoe law firm, located in New York. It was founded in 1929 by General William "Wild Bill" Donovan, who was often referenced as the Father of the CIA. The firm dissolved in 1998. Its notable ...
as an associate.
Career
An early protégé of
Office of Strategic Services
The Office of Strategic Services (OSS) was the intelligence agency of the United States during World War II. The OSS was formed as an agency of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) to coordinate espionage activities behind enemy lines for all branc ...
founder
William J. Donovan
William Joseph "Wild Bill" Donovan (January 1, 1883 – February 8, 1959) was an American soldier, lawyer, intelligence officer and diplomat, best known for serving as the head of the Office of Strategic Services (OSS), the precursor to the Bur ...
, vanden Heuvel served at the U.S. embassy (1953–1954) in
Bangkok
Bangkok, officially known in Thai language, Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estima ...
,
Thailand
Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...
, as Donovan's executive assistant during his ambassadorship. In 1958, vanden Heuvel served as
special counsel
In the United States, a special counsel (formerly called special prosecutor or independent counsel) is a lawyer appointed to investigate, and potentially prosecute, a particular case of suspected wrongdoing for which a conflict of interest exist ...
to
New York State Governor
The governor of New York is the head of government of the U.S. state of New York and the head of the executive branch of New York's state government and the commander-in-chief of the state's military forces.New York Constitution article IV ...
W. Averell Harriman.
Vanden Heuvel became
U.S. Attorney General
The United States attorney general (AG) is the head of the United States Department of Justice, and is the chief law enforcement officer of the federal government of the United States. The attorney general serves as the principal advisor to the p ...
Robert F. Kennedy
Robert Francis Kennedy (November 20, 1925June 6, 1968), also known by his initials RFK and by the nickname Bobby, was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 64th United States Attorney General from January 1961 to September 1964, ...
's assistant in 1962, and was involved in
Kennedy's 1964 and
1968 political campaigns. As special assistant to Attorney General Kennedy, vanden Heuvel played the key role in court, orchestrating the desegregation of the
Prince Edward County school system, which expanded the scope of the landmark decision, ''
Brown v. Board of Education
''Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka'', 347 U.S. 483 (1954), was a landmark decision by the U.S. Supreme Court, which ruled that U.S. state laws establishing racial segregation in public schools are unconstitutional, even if the segrega ...
''.
In 1965, vanden Heuvel joined
Stroock & Stroock & Lavan as senior partner, where he practiced international and corporate law.
In the 1970s, vanden Heuvel, as Chairman of the New York City Board of Corrections, led a campaign to investigate conditions in the city's prison system.
He subsequently served as
U.S. Ambassador to the European office of the United Nations in
Geneva
Geneva ( ; french: Genève ) frp, Genèva ; german: link=no, Genf ; it, Ginevra ; rm, Genevra is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland (after Zürich) and the most populous city of Romandy, the French-speaki ...
(1977–79)
and United States Deputy
Ambassador to the United Nations
A permanent representative to the United Nations (sometimes called a "UN ambassador")"History of Ambassadors", United States Mission to the United Nations, March 2011, webpagUSUN-a. is the head of a country's diplomatic mission to the United Nati ...
(1979–1981) during the
Carter administration.
Vanden Heuvel founded the
Roosevelt Institute
The Roosevelt Institute is a liberal American think tank. According to the organization, it exists "to carry forward the legacy and values of Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt by developing progressive ideas and bold leadership in the service of re ...
in 1987 and served as its chairman until the early 2000s.
He was a Senior Advisor to the
investment banking
Investment banking pertains to certain activities of a financial services company or a corporate division that consist in advisory-based financial transactions on behalf of individuals, corporations, and governments. Traditionally associated wit ...
firm
Allen & Company
Allen & Company LLC is an American privately held boutique investment bank based at 711 Fifth Avenue, New York. The firm specializes in real estate, technology, media and entertainment.
History
Founded in 1922 by Charles Robert Allen, Jr., he w ...
starting in 1984. He also served as Chairman of the American Austrian Foundation. He acted as co-chairman of the Council of American Ambassadors,
[ and was a member of the ]Council on Foreign Relations
The Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) is an American think tank
A think tank, or policy institute, is a research institute that performs research and advocacy concerning topics such as social policy, political strategy, economics, mi ...
. He was a Governor and former Chairman of the United Nations Association of the United States of America
The United Nations Association of the United States of America (UNA-USA) is a nonprofit grassroots organization dedicated to promoting political and public support for the United Nations among Americans. A program of the United Nations Foundation ...
, and wrote extensively on the United Nations and American foreign policy. He was also a member of Collegium International International Ethical, Scientific and Political Collegium, also called Collegium International , is a high-level group created in 2002.
Origin
The International Ethical, Political and Scientific Collegium is committed, according to its founders, "t ...
, an organization of leaders with political, scientific, and ethical expertise whose goal is to provide new approaches in overcoming the obstacles in the way of a peaceful, socially just and an economically sustainable world.
Political campaigns
In 1960, vanden Heuvel ran as a Democrat for New York's 17th congressional district
New York's 17th congressional district is a congressional district for the United States House of Representatives located in Southern New York. It includes all of Rockland County and portions of central and northwestern Westchester County, i ...
against incumbent Republican John Lindsay
John Vliet Lindsay (; November 24, 1921 – December 19, 2000) was an American politician and lawyer. During his political career, Lindsay was a U.S. congressman, mayor of New York City, and candidate for U.S. president. He was also a regular ...
. The 17th district was strongly identified with the Upper East Side
The Upper East Side, sometimes abbreviated UES, is a neighborhood in the borough of Manhattan in New York City, bounded by 96th Street to the north, the East River to the east, 59th Street to the south, and Central Park/Fifth Avenue to the wes ...
of Manhattan, which has been often referred to as the "Silk Stocking" district. Lindsay handily won the highly contested race by 80,000 votes to vanden Heuvel's 54,000.
In June 1973, vanden Heuvel challenged Frank Hogan
Frank Smithwick Hogan (January 17, 1902 – April 2, 1974) was an American lawyer and politician from New York. He served as New York County District Attorney for more than 30 years, during which he achieved a reputation for professionalism and ...
in the Democratic primary for the position of Manhattan District Attorney
The New York County District Attorney, also known as the Manhattan District Attorney, is the elected district attorney for New York County (Manhattan), New York. The office is responsible for the prosecution of violations of New York state laws ...
. Hogan had served for 32 years in the position and easily won the primary, assuring Hogan victory in the general election in November, with the support of all the political parties.
Personal life
Vanden Heuvel married his first wife, Jean Stein
Jean Babette Stein (February 9, 1934 – April 30, 2017) was an American author and editor.
Early life
Stein was born to a Jewish family in Chicago. Her father was Jules C. Stein (1896–1981), co-founder of the Music Corporation of America (M ...
, in 1958. Together, they had two children: Katrina
Katrina or Katrine may refer to:
People
* Katrina (given name)
* Katrine (given name)
Meteorology
* List of storms named Katrina, a list of tropical cyclones designated as Katrina
** Hurricane Katrina, an exceptionally powerful Atlantic hurrican ...
and Wendy. They divorced in 1969. A decade later, he married Melinda Fuller Pierce. They remained married until his death. Vanden Heuvel died on June 15, 2021, at his home in Manhattan
Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...
. He was 91, and suffered from complications of pneumonia prior to his death.
Books
* William vanden Heuvel, editor. ''The Future of Freedom in Russia'', Templeton Foundation Press (2000), .
* William vanden Heuvel, with Milton S. Gwirtzman. ''On His Own: Robert F. Kennedy, 1964–1968'', Doubleday (1970), .
* William vanden Heuvel. ''Hope and History: A Memoir of Tumultuous Times'', Cornell University Press (2019), .
References
External links
The Roosevelt Institute
debating FDR and World War II.
"America, Franklin D. Roosevelt and the Holocaust," speech (1996).
*
*
*
*
*
*
Oral history interview with William J. vanden Heuvel, 2011
part of ''Justice in New York'', in the Lloyd Sealy Library
The Lloyd George Sealy Library is the campus library at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, City University of New York (CUNY). Located in Haaren Hall, the library specializes in criminal justice-related materials.
Overview
The Lloyd Sealy Li ...
Digital Collections, John Jay College of Criminal Justice
{{DEFAULTSORT:Vanden Heuvel, William
1930 births
2021 deaths
Writers from Rochester, New York
New York (state) Democrats
County legislators in New York (state)
Ambassadors of the United States
Cornell Law School alumni
Deep Springs College alumni
American people of Dutch descent
American people of Belgian descent
New York (state) lawyers
Stein family (MCA)