Stanley Van Ness

Stanley Carlton Van Ness
Born(1933-02-28)February 28, 1933
Somerville, New Jersey, U.S.
DiedSeptember 26, 2007(2007-09-26) (aged 74)
NationalityAmerican
Alma materRutgers University

Stanley Carlton Van Ness (February 28, 1933 – September 26, 2007)[1] was an American jurist who worked for a number of state agencies in New Jersey, US.[1][2] Most notably, he led the New Jersey Department of the Public Advocate as the first Public Advocate in New Jersey and the United States.[1][2] He was the third African American to reach cabinet-level status in New Jersey.[2]

Van Ness was born in Somerville, New Jersey.[1] In the early 1950s, he graduated from Rutgers University, subsequently serving in the Air Force.[1] Van Ness graduated Rutgers Law School in 1963, then becoming an Assistant United States Attorney for the District of New Jersey.[1] A few years later, he became counsel to Governor Richard J. Hughes.[1] In 1969, Hughes chose Van Ness to lead the New Jersey Office of the Public Defender.[1][2] When the New Jersey Department of the Public Advocate was established in 1974, Van Ness was placed as its chief,[2] and the Public Defender office was incorporated into the Public Advocate office.[1]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i Hevisi, Dennis (27 September 2007). "Stanley Van Ness, State Public Advocate, Dies at 73". The New York Times. Retrieved 3 August 2010.
  2. ^ a b c d e Murphy, Fredrick (July 1977). "Government Under Class". Black Enterprise. Retrieved 3 August 2010.


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