John Van de Kamp facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
John Van de Kamp
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Van de Kamp in 2012
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| 28th Attorney General of California | |
| In office January 3, 1983 – January 7, 1991 |
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| Governor | George Deukmejian |
| Preceded by | George Deukmejian |
| Succeeded by | Dan Lungren |
| 37th Los Angeles County District Attorney | |
| In office July 1, 1975 – July 1, 1981 |
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| Preceded by | Joseph P. Busch |
| Succeeded by | Robert Philibosian |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
John Kalar Van de Kamp
February 7, 1936 Pasadena, California, U.S. |
| Died | March 14, 2017 (aged 81) Pasadena, California, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Alma mater | Dartmouth College (A.B.) Stanford Law School (J.D.) |
John Kalar Van de Kamp (February 7, 1936 – March 14, 2017) was an American politician and lawyer who served as Los Angeles County District Attorney from 1975 until 1981, and then as the 28th Attorney General of California from 1983 until 1991.
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Early life
A member of the Van de Kamp family, John Kalar Van de Kamp was born on February 7, 1936. He graduated from Dartmouth College and from Stanford Law School in 1959. He served as assistant U.S. Attorney and later became the first Federal Public Defender in Los Angeles. He was appointed U.S. Attorney for Los Angeles by President Lyndon Johnson in 1966. He was appointed district attorney after the previous incumbent died in office.
Los Angeles County District Attorney
During his tenure as Los Angeles County District Attorney, Van de Kamp dramatically increased the number of female deputy district attorneys in the office. He also created special units to focus on gangs, domestic violence, child abuse, and career criminals, and a unit to monitor crime in the entertainment industry. He set in place programs to help victims and witnesses, as well as quick response teams in cases of police officer-involved shootings.
California Attorney General
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Van de Kamp won the 1982 Democratic primary for Attorney General, defeating California State Sen. Omer Rains, a Democrat from Santa Barbara. Rains was chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee and former Senate Majority Leader. Van de Kamp would go on to beat the Republican candidate, Senior Assistant Attorney General George Nicholson, a Deukmejian lieutenant, in the November general election.
During Van de Kamp's administration as California Attorney General, he helped to create the Public Rights Division, which focuses on the enforcement of environmental, consumer protection, antitrust, and civil rights issues. He also helped to modernize the Department of Justice by beginning support of DNA forensic investigation.
Van de Kamp was easily re-elected in 1986, winning 65 percent of the vote. The Republican nominee was San Fernando Valley attorney Bruce Gleason.
In 1989, George Deukmejian announced that he would not seek a third term as Governor of California. Van de Kamp ran for the office in 1990, hoping to succeed Deukmejian a second time, but he lost the Democratic primary election to former San Francisco Mayor Dianne Feinstein. Feinstein lost the general election to U. S. Sen. Pete Wilson, R-Calif. Feinstein would win a 1992 special election to fill Wilson's US Senate seat.
Post-politics
After his loss to Feinstein, Van de Kamp retired from politics and with his wife returned to his hometown of Pasadena, California, where they lived until his death in March 2017. After leaving public office, Van de Kamp entered a private law practice and remained active in environmental causes.
In 1977, Van de Kamp was awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws (LL.D.) degree from Whittier College.
Van de Kamp was elected the 80th president of the State Bar of California for 2004–2005. He also served as president of the board of directors for the Planning and Conservation League.
In 2016, along with Ron Briggs, Van de Kamp sued to overturn Proposition 66, a state constitutional amendment that sped up the death penalty process. He lost his lawsuit 5–2 in the California Supreme Court.
At the age of 81, Van de Kamp died at his Pasadena home on March 14, 2017.
Personal life
Van de Kamp graduated from John Muir High School in Pasadena, California. The Van de Kamp family is also famous for its bakeries, frozen foods, and Lawry's Restaurants in Southern California.
