Stanley Van Ness

Stanley Stanley Van Ness (February 28, 1933 – September 26, 2007[1]) was an American jurist who worked for a number of state agencies in New Jersey, USA.[1][2] Most notably, he led the New Jersey Department of the Public Advocate as the first Public Advocate in New Jersey and the United States.[1][2] He was the third African American to reach cabinet-level status in New Jersey.[2]

Van Ness was born in Somerville, New Jersey.[1] In the early 1950s, he graduated from Rutgers University, subsequently serving in the Air Force.[1] Van Ness graduated Rutgers Law School in 1963, then becoming an Assistant United States Attorney in the District of New Jersey.[1] A few years later, he became counsel to Governor Richard J. Hughes.[1] In 1969, Hughes chose Van Ness to lead the New Jersey Office of the Public Defender.[1][2] When the New Jersey Department of the Public Advocate was established in 1974, Van Ness was placed as its chief,[2] and the Public Defender office was incorporated into the Public Advocate office.[1]