Stanley Van Ness

Stanley Carlton Van Ness (February 28, 1933 – September 26, 2007)^[1] was an American jurist who worked for a number of state agencies in New Jersey, US.^[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 for 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]