Eugene Van Antwerp
{{Short description|American politician}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name = Eugene Ignatius Van Antwerp
| image = Eugene I. Van Antwerp.jpg
| smallimage =
| caption = Antwerp in 1920
|order=61st
| office =Mayor of Detroit, Michigan
| term_start = January 6, 1948
| term_end = January 2, 1950
| predecessor = Edward Jeffries
| successor = Albert Cobo
| office2 = Member of the Detroit City Council
| term2 = 1950 – August 5, 1962
| predecessor2 = Edward Jeffries
| term3 = January 1932 – January 1948
| birth_date = July 26, 1889
| birth_place = Detroit, Michigan
| death_date = {{Death date and age|1962|8|5|1889|7|26}}
| death_place = Detroit, Michigan
| constituency =
| party =
| alma_mater =
| spouse = Mary Frances McDevitt
| profession = Civil Engineer
| religion =
| signature =
| footnotes =
}}
Eugene Ignatius Van Antwerp (July 26, 1889 – August 5, 1962) was the mayor of Detroit, Michigan.
Biography
He was born on July 26, 1889, the son of Eugene C. Van Antwerp and Cecelia Renaud. His father was of Flemish descent and his mother was of French ancestry.{{citation | title = Who's Who in Detroit, 1935-36 | publisher = Walter Romig & Co | year = 1935 | page = 324}}
He was educated in parochial schools and then at the University of Detroit and worked as an instructor in English at Gonzaga University in 1910–1911. He returned to Detroit, working briefly at the Detroit Police Department before going to work as a civil engineer. He did engineering work first for the Michigan Central Railroad and then for the Grand Trunk Railroad.
Van Antwerp served as a captain in 16th Regiment of Engineers (Railway) from Detroit in the United States Army Corps of Engineers during World War I, and was among the first members of the Allied Expeditionary Force to land in France, serving in 1917–1919. He returned to his position with Grand Trunk after the war. He was chief engineer for the National Survey Service from 1926 to 1928, after which he went into private practice as an engineer and surveyor. He died on August 5, 1962.
Family
Politics
Van Antwerp, a Democrat, was elected to the Detroit City Council in 1932. He served continuously from 1932 to 1948, when he ran for mayor.{{cite web|title=Detroit City Council, 1919 to present |publisher=Detroit Public Library |url=http://www.detroit.lib.mi.us/mrl/Council.htm |access-date=November 6, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110928123713/http://www.detroit.lib.mi.us/mrl/Council.htm |archive-date=September 28, 2011 }} During his time on the council, he ran unsuccessfully for county auditor in 1935{{cite news | title = Detroit Official Dies at 73 | newspaper = The Windsor Star | date = Aug 7, 1962 | url = https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=jU4_AAAAIBAJ&sjid=v1AMAAAAIBAJ&pg=6372,6382404&dq=albert-cobo&hl=en}} and served a stint as the commander of the Veterans of Foreign Wars in 1938–39.{{cite web | title = Past Commanders-in-Chief | publisher = Veterans of Foreign Wars | url = http://www.vfw.org/resources/pdf/Past%20Chiefs%202010.pdf | access-date = November 12, 2010 | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100617161906/http://www.vfw.org/resources/pdf/Past%20Chiefs%202010.pdf | archive-date = June 17, 2010 }}
Van Antwerp served a single term as mayor, beating Edward Jeffries in 1947 but losing in the primary in 1949.{{cite news | title = Cobo, Edwards Win in Detroit | newspaper = Toledo Blade | date = Sep 14, 1949 | url = https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=NHkTAAAAIBAJ&sjid=FgAEAAAAIBAJ&pg=1071,4617121&dq=eugene-van-antwerp&hl=en}} He returned to the City Council in 1950, winning a special election in November of that year to replace Edward Jeffries after the latter's death. During his second time on the council, he ran unsuccessfully for state highway commissioner in 1952 and for United States Congress in 1955. Van Antwerp served on the council continuously until his death.
External links
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{{s-start}}
{{s-off}}
{{s-bef | before=Edward Jeffries}}
{{s-ttl | title=Mayor of Detroit | years = January 6, 1948 - January 2, 1950}}
{{s-aft | after=Albert Cobo}}
{{end}}
References
{{Wikisource}}
{{Reflist}}
{{DetroitMayors}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Van Antwerp, Eugene}}
Category:American politicians of Dutch descent
Category:American people of French descent
Category:Detroit City Council members
Category:University of Detroit Mercy alumni