James Edward Van Zandt – Rear Admiral, United States Navy Member of Congress

James Edward Van Zandt was born at Altoona, Pa. in  1898.  He attended the Pennsylvania Railroad Apprentice School. Van Zandt achieved a distinguished military career.  He served in the Navy during WWI, was a member of the Naval Reserve (1919-1943), served in the Pacific and North Atlantic during  WW II, and retired in 1959 as a rear admiral in the naval reserve.  He  served as a Republican Congressman from 1939 to 1943 and again from 1947 to 1963 having succeeded David Brumbaugh.  In 1962, he was defeated in a U.S. Senate bid.  Van Zandt died at Arlington, Va. in 1986.   He is buried in the Arlington National Cemetery (Section 30).  His wife, Esther L. Meisenhoelder Van Zandt (29 March 1907-23 March 1992) is buried with him.

Courtesy of the U. S. House of Representatives:

Representative from Pennsylvania; born in Altoona, Blair County, Pa., December 18, 1898; attended the public schools and the Pennsylvania Railroad Apprentice School, Altoona, Pa.; served in various departments until 1938, when he became district passenger agent; during the First World War enlisted as an apprentice seaman in the United States Navy on April 30, 1917, and served two years overseas; member of the United States Naval Reserve 1919-1943 with rank of lieutenant; national commander of the Veterans of Foreign Wars 1934-1936; elected as a Republican to the Seventy-sixth, Seventy-seventh, and Seventy-eighth Congresses and served from January 3, 1939, until his resignation September 24, 1943; while a Member of Congress was called to active duty in September 1941 and served until January 1942 with the Pacific Fleet and in escort convoy duty in the North Atlantic; reentered the service in September 1943 as a lieutenant commander and was assigned to the Pacific area until discharged as a captain, January 25, 1946, and retired as  rear admiral, United States Naval Reserve, January 1, 1959; elected to the Eightieth and to the seven succeeding Congresses (January 3, 1947-January 3, 1963); was not a candidate for renomination in 1962 to the Eighty-eighth Congress, but was an unsuccessful candidate for United States Senator; special representative of the governor of Pennsylvania until 1971; resided in Arlington, Va., where he died January 6, 1986; interment in Arlington National Cemetery.

Michael Robert Patterson

Michael Robert Patterson was born in Arlington and is the son of a former officer of the US Army. So it was no wonder that sooner or later his interests drew him to American history and especially to American military history. Many of his articles can be found on renowned portals like the New York Times, Washingtonpost or Wikipedia.

Reviewed by: Michael Howard