Politics / Military
Eugene Van Antwerp
1889–1962 · civil engineer, city councilman, mayor of Detroit
Railroad civil engineer and World War I veteran who sat on the City Council for nearly three decades and was mayor in 1948–1950.
- Born
- Died
aged 73- Birth name
- Eugene Ignatius Van Antwerp
- Also known as
- Eugene I. Van Antwerp
- Detroit years
- 1910s–1962
01 / The Detroit story
The Detroit story
Eugene Van Antwerp, of Flemish and French descent, went through parochial schools and the University of Detroit and taught English briefly at Gonzaga University before returning to the city. After a short stint with the Detroit Police Department he became a civil engineer for the Michigan Central and Grand Trunk railroads. In World War I he served as a captain in the 16th Engineers (Railway), a Detroit regiment that was among the first American units to land in France. He later ran a private engineering and surveying practice. A Democrat, he won a City Council seat in 1932 and held it until 1948, also serving as national commander of the Veterans of Foreign Wars in 1938–1939. In 1947 he unseated Mayor Edward Jeffries and served a single term, 1948–1950, before losing in the 1949 primary. Returning to the council in a 1950 special election to fill Jeffries's seat, he stayed there until his death in 1962. He and his wife raised eleven children.
Highlights
- Mayor of Detroit, 1948–1950
- Detroit City Council member 1932–1948 and 1950–1962
- National commander of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, 1938–1939
- Captain in the 16th Engineers (Railway) in World War I