William Van Regenmorter (January 29, 1939 – June 18, 2012) was a Republican politician from the U.S. state of Michigan, representing Ottawa County. He served as the representative of Michigan's 55th district from 1982 to 1990 and the 74 district from 2002 to 2006. Between those terms, from 1990 to 2002, he served as senator of the 22nd district. He authored Michigan's Crime Victims Rights Act, which has served as the national model for victims' rights. He also authored and passed two successful amendments to the Michigan Constitution (art. I, sec. 20 and art. I, sec. 24).
Early life and career
Van Regenmorter attended Calvin College. He was a businessman, prior to running for political office, he owned a furniture retail store and served as an analyst at Dun & Bradstreet. He also served as the Ottawa County, Michigan Commissioner.
Political career
Van Regenmorter's political career started with his election into the Michigan State House of Representatives in 1982. He served as the representative of Ottawa County through 1990. Van Regenmorter served several terms in the Michigan State Senate (1990-2002) before being elected to the Michigan State House of Representatives in 2002. VanRegenmorter announced that he would not seek election in 2006 due to health reasons. He is most widely known for authoring Michigan's Crime Victims Rights Amendment and had been seen as a national leader on this issue.
He served and headed various committees during his time in office, including the chair of the Judiciary Committee for 16 years. Other committee positions include Corrections (M.V.C.), Economic Development & Energy, and House Oversight.
His work included initiating several reforms in the criminal justice system, revisions of the juvenile code, changes in sentencing procedures for dangerous felons and enactment of community placement provisions. He stressed the need for improving the cost-efficiency of the state's own budget operations.
Death
He died at age 73, after a battle with Parkinson's Disease. Flags across the state were lowered to half-mast in his honor.
Bibliographical Information
The problem with attempting to collect scholarly research on former Michigan legislator, William Van Regenmorter, is that there is none. The only information to be found about the man is located in various Michigan government documents, obituaries, website biographies, and his collection of papers in Calvin College's Heritage Hall.
There is little information written about the life of Van Regenmorter prior to his political career. The biographical sketches published by the state of Michigan contain what little is written about his life before his election to the State House of Representatives in 1982. These include The Michigan Manual of 1983–84, 1987–88, and 2001–2002. All of which state his date of birth, January 29, 1939, in Jamestown Michigan. His obituary in the Grand Rapids Press also contains this information along with the names of his parents, William Sr. and Zora (Van Oss) Van Regenmorter. Following his birth no other information is provided until mention of his schooling, which took place at Calvin College. There is another lapse in biographical information between his time at Calvin College and his professional career. Capitol Profiles states that William was a financial analyst for Dun & Bradstreet and at one point he was the owner of a retail furniture store. It is documented in the 1983-84 edition of the Michigan Manual that Van Regenmorter was a member of the Christian Reformed Church.
The political career of Van Regenmorter is the most detailed portion of his life. In comparing the three manuals one can see some subtle changes throughout the years. The 1983-84 edition coincided with Van Regenmorter's second year in office and states that before the 1982 election he served as Ottawa County Commissioner. In his first term as Representative of Michigan's 55th district he served on the National Association of Criminal Justice Planners. His biographical sketch in the 1987-88 edition showed that Van Regenmorter was the director of the Michigan Victim Alliance as well as the Chairman of Michigan's Republican Caucus. The 2001-2002 edition of the Michigan Manual contains the info of his final term as a Michigan senator. At this time he served on both the Gaming and Casino Oversight committee and the Joint Committee on Administrative Rules. This edition also recognized that he was the author of the Crime Victim's Rights Act and two successful amendments to the Michigan Constitution.