Frank Jackson Van Dyke (August 10, 1907 – December 25, 1988) was an American politician, attorney, and a United States magistrate judge from the state of Oregon. He was a Republican who served eight years in the Oregon House of Representatives, where he represented a district in southern Oregon. He served as Speaker of the Oregon House of Representatives during the 1949 legislative session. He was elected speaker by a unanimous vote of House members. Later, he served as chairman of the Oregon Board of Higher Education, chairman of the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education, and chairman of the Oregon State Board of Education. He also served as a federal magistrate for 27 years.
Early life
Van Dyke was born on August 10, 1907, in Penang, Straits Settlements, British Malaya (now Malaysia). He was the son of Benjamin F. Van Dyke and Esther (Jackson) Van Dyke. His parents were Methodist missionaries serving in Singapore and British Malaya. In 1912, Van Dyke moved with his parents back to his father’s hometown of Medford, Oregon. He attended public schools and then high school in Medford, graduating from Medford High School in 1926.
Van Dyke went on to college at the Willamette University. As a student, Van Dyke was very active in college life. He was the editor and business manager for the 1928-29 yearbook. His junior year, he was elected class representative on the college’s student body executive committee. He was also elected president of Alpha Psi Delta fraternity that year. Van Dyke was on the university track team for four years, specializing in the mile and two-mile running events. He earned a varsity track letter during three of those seasons. He graduated from Willamette University with a law degree in 1931.
Attorney and community leader
After graduating from college, Van Dyke returned to Medford. In 1932, he was admitted to the Oregon State Bar and joined an established Medford law firm. A year later, he took a position in the nearby city of Ashland. His new associate position was with the Briggs and Briggs law firm. It included both private clients and work as Ashland’s city attorney. In 1934, Van Dyke open his own law office in Ashland while continuing to serve as Ashland’s city attorney.
In addition, Van Dyke was active in a number of civic and fraternal organizations. For example, he was president and director of the Ashland chamber of commerce and chairman of the Ashland school board. He was also a member the local Rotary Club, American Legion, and chairman of the district Boy Scout council. He was president of the local Elks lodge and president of the Jackson County Shriners organization as well as a Mason. Van Dyke was also president of the Ashland Republican Club and president of the Lincoln Club of Jackson County, a group that supported Republican candidates.
Van Dyke married Naomi Hohman in Ashland on June 10, 1934. Together, they had two children, a son and a daughter. Van Dyke was divorced from his first wife in 1957. He later married Gladys Roberts and remained married to her for the rest of his life.
In 1941, Van Dyke became the local coordinator for a United States Army cantonment being developed in Jackson County, north of Medford. In that capacity, he represented Jackson County communities and local businesses as the Army planned a new military training installation. Van Dyke worked with the Army Corps of Engineers and the Quartermaster Corps as they developed what became Camp White.
State representative
In 1942, Van Dyke decided to run for a District 19 seat the Oregon House of Representatives, representing Jackson County. While William M. McAllister of Medford also file as Republicans, no Democrats joined the race. Because there were two seats in House District 19, political parties were able to nominate two candidates in the primary election so both Van Dyke and McAllister were advanced to the general election. Since there were no Democrats in the field, Van Dyke and McAllister won the two District 19 seats in the general election.
However, Van Dyke had volunteered for service in the Army in early 1942. In the fall, he was called up for duty and sent to Camp Roberts in California for officer training. This meant he was not available to take his seat when the legislative session open on January 11, 1943.