William Vandever

Biography

Born near Wheeling, Virginia (now West Virginia) in 1817, William Vandever moved west with his family and, drawn by the promise of Iowa's new settlements, read law, built a respected practice, and tended to the farms and institutions of Linn County.

When the Civil War erupted he led Iowa volunteers in the Mississippi Valley, rose to brigadier general, and resigned his commission to represent his state in the United States House of Representatives; he then returned to Marion County to oversee his lands and banking interests, leaving a legacy of principled leadership remembered at Ivy Lawn Memorial Park.