Wade Van Valkenburg (January 16, 1899November 20, 1985) was a Republican politician from

Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...

who served as the Speaker of the

Michigan House of Representatives The Michigan House of Representatives is the lower house of the Michigan Legislature. There are 110 members, each of whom is elected from constituencies having approximately 77,000 to 91,000 residents, based on population figures from the 2010 ...

and as a local judge. Born in Tipton on January 16, 1899, Van Valkenburg graduated from the

University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...

and from the then-

Detroit College of Law The Michigan State University College of Law (Michigan State Law or MSU Law) is the law school of Michigan State University, a public research university in East Lansing, Michigan. Established in 1891 as the Detroit College of Law, it was the fi ...

. He served in the

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through combi ...

during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. After losing in the primary election in 1944, Van Valkenburg was elected to represent the 1st

Kalamazoo Kalamazoo ( ) is a city in the southwest region of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is the county seat of Kalamazoo County. At the 2010 census, Kalamazoo had a population of 74,262. Kalamazoo is the major city of the Kalamazoo-Portage Metropolit ...

district in the State House in 1946 and served until 1956. He was elected Speaker of the House for his final four years. Nine years after leaving the House, Van Valkenburg became a circuit judge for Michigan's 9th Circuit, which consists of Kalamazoo County, where he served for three years. He was a member of the Freemasons, the Shriners, Kiwanis, and the American Legion. Van Valkenburg died on November 20, 1985 in Kalamazoo. In 2004, the Wade Van Valkenburg Trust established a scholarship program for students in Kalamazoo County who have been found guilty of a criminal offense and who can demonstrate how they have overcome adversity in their life.Wade and Clio Van Valkenburg Scholarship - Scholarships - Kalamazoo Community Foundation
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References

1899 births 1985 deaths Speakers of the Michigan House of Representatives Republican Party members of the Michigan House of Representatives People from Lenawee County, Michigan Politicians from Kalamazoo, Michigan University of Michigan alumni Detroit College of Law alumni United States Marine Corps personnel of World War I 20th-century American politicians 20th-century American judges {{Michigan-politician-stub