THE PEOPLE BEHIND THE NAMES
THE PEOPLE BEHIND THE NAMES
GENERAL VALLEJO
(1808-1890) Soldier and California politician. Agent in securing admission of
California to the United States. Elected to the first State senate 1849.
WILLIS VAN DEVANTER
(1859-1941) Supreme Court Justice 1910 from Wyoming.
HENRY VAN DYKE
(1852-1933) Presbyterian clergyman, author, educator. Professor of English
literature at Princeton 1899-1923.
HENDRICK WILLEM VAN LOON
(1882-1944) Author and lecturer.
RAYMOND VAN BROGAN
(????-1942) Merchant seaman lost on the tanker “S.S. Caddo” when it was
torpedoed in the North Atlantic enroute Baytown, Texas, to Iceland.
I. N. VAN NUYS
(1835-1912) Financier and wheat grower in San Fernando Valley, late 1800s and
early 1900s. City of Van Nuys, California, named for him.
JERIMIAH VAN RENSSELAER
(1741-1810) Congressman from New York to the First Congress. Lt. Governor of
New York 1801-1804.
ISAAC VAN ZANDT
(1813-1847) Charge d’Affairs for Texas, in Washington, D.C., prior to annexation.
MARTIN VAN BUREN
(1782-1862) Lawyer. President of the United States 1836-1840.
ZEBULON B. VANCE
(1830-1894) Senator from North Carolina 1858-1861. Governor 1862-1866; 1876-
1878. Senator 1879-1894.
GEORGE VANCOUVER
(1758-1798) English explorer in the Pacific.
CORNELIUS VANDERBILT
(1794-1877) Steamship and railroad promotor.
WILLIAM K. VANDERBILT
(1849-1920) Captilist. Son of Cornelius.
FRANK A. VANDERLIP
(1864-1937) Journalist, banker. President of National City Bank of New York, the
largest bank in the country at that time. Asst. Secretary of the Treasury.
ROBERT L. VANN
(1879-1940) Pioneer negro newspaper publisher. Published the The Pittsburgh
Courier 1910.
RICHARD VAN PELT
(????-1942) Merchant seaman lost on the “S.S. Gulfamerica” when it was
torpedoed and shelled only 5 miles off Jacksonville, Florida, 1942.
JOSE PEDRO VARELA
(1788-1853) Catholic clergyman, Cuban patriot, author. Pastor of various
churches in New York City.
VICTOR C. VAUGHAN
(1851-1929) Dean of the Medical School University of Michigan 1891-1921.
KEITH VAWTER
(1872-1937) Bookseller in Des Moines, Iowa, that organized the Chattaqua tours
that were popular during later part of the 19th century.
THORSTEIN VEBLEN
(1857-1929) Economist, liberal. Professor at Stanford University 1906-1909
GEORGE M. VERITY
(1865-1944) President of American Rolling Mill Co. of Ohio.
AMERIGO VESPUCCI
(1451-1512) Italian navigator and explorer. First European to reach the mainland
of South America 1499. Discovered the mouth of the Amazon and the Platte 1501.
GEORGE VICKERS
(1801-1879) Senator from Maryland 1868-1873.
FRANCIS VIGO
(1747-1836) Soldier, merchant. Established headquarters in St. Louis 1772.
Shares credit with George Rogers Clark for development of Northwest.
WILLIAM F. VILAS
(1840-1908) Postmaster General 1885. Secretary of the Interior 1888. Senator from
Wisconsin 1891-1897.
HENRY VILLARD
(1835-1900) Journalist, railroad promotor. Organized the Oregon Railroad and
Navigation Co. 1879. President of the Northern Pacific 1881. Helped found the
Edison Genral Electric Co.
JACQUES PHILLIPE VILLERE
(1761-1830) Governor of Louisiana 1816-1820.
JOHN VINING
(1758-1802) Member of the Continental Congress from Deleware. Congressman
from Deleware 1789-1793. Senator 1793-1798.
SEBASTIAN VIZACAINO
(1550-1628) Spanish merchant and explorer. Arrived in Mexico 1585 and did
much early exploration along California coast as far north as Cape Mendocino.
B. CHARNEY VLADECK
(1886-1938) Socialist Jewish leader in America. New York City councilman 1934.
GEORGE VON L. MEYER
(1858-1918) Postmaster General 1907~1909. Secretary of the Navy 1909.
FREDERICK VON STEUBEN
(1730-1794) Major General in Revolutionary War who was born in Prussia.