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Isaac Homer Van Winkle

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Isaac Homer Van Winkle
Van Winkle in 1921
6th Oregon Attorney General
In office
October 14, 1920 – December 14, 1943
Appointed byBen W. Olcott
Preceded byGeorge M. Brown
Succeeded byGeorge Neuner
Personal details
BornDecember 3, 1870
Halsey, Oregon
DiedDecember 14, 1943(1943-12-14) (aged 73)
Salem, Oregon
Political partyRepublican

Isaac Homer Van Winkle (December 3, 1870 – December 14, 1943) was an American attorney in the state of Oregon. A former dean of Willamette University's law school, he served as the 6th Attorney General of Oregon for 23 years.

Early life

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Van Winkle was born in Linn County, Oregon, near the community of Halsey, to Isaac Newton Van Winkle and Elizabeth Ann Pearl.[1] Isaac graduated from Willamette University in Salem, Oregon, in 1898 with a Bachelor of Arts degree.[2] In 1901, he graduated from Willamette University College of Law, where he later served as the sixth dean.[3] On September 3, 1902, Isaac married Lella Velvetta Parrish, and they had one daughter named Rosalind.[1] Lella died in 1918.[2]

Public service

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In 1904, Van Winkle began serving as an assistant attorney general for Oregon, remaining in the post until 1920 (though not from 1913 to 1915).[2][4] He was an instructor at Willamette's law school from 1905 to 1913.[2] That year he began his tenure as dean of the school, remaining until 1927.[2] The Van Winkle Melton Endowed Professorship at Willamette is named in his honor.[3]

On October 14, 1920, Van Winkle was appointed as the sixth Oregon Attorney General by Oregon Governor Ben W. Olcott, to replace George M. Brown, who had resigned from the position.[5] As a Republican, he was elected to a full four-year term later that year. Van Winkle won re-election in 1924, 1928, 1932, 1936, and 1940 before dying in office on December 14, 1943.[5] Van Winkle's 23 years as Oregon's top lawyer are the longest of any attorney general in the state's history.[5] In 1938, he ran for a position on the Oregon Supreme Court, but lost and remained as Attorney General.[6]

References

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  1. ^ a b Descendants of Rev. Isaac Newton Van Winkle, RootsWeb. Retrieved on September 4, 2007.
  2. ^ a b c d e Obituaries: Isaac H. Van Winkle. The New York Times, December 16, 1943.
  3. ^ a b Among Ourselves, Oregon State Bar Bulletin, October 2003. Retrieved on September 4, 2007
  4. ^ State v. Nielsen, 51 Or. 588, 95 P. 720 (1908)
  5. ^ a b c Earliest Authorities in Oregon - Attorneys General of Oregon, Oregon Secretary of State: Oregon Blue Book. Retrieved on September 4, 2007.
  6. ^ The Political Graveyard: Index to Politicians: Vanwagenen to Vaudain. Retrieved on September 4, 2007.
Legal offices
Preceded by Oregon Attorney General
1920-1943
Succeeded by
Academic offices
Preceded by Dean of Willamette University College of Law
1913–1927
Succeeded by
Roy R. Hewitt