[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 7]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 9710-9711]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                    A TRIBUTE TO JOHN K. VAN de KAMP

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. ADAM B. SCHIFF

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, April 23, 2007

  Mr. SCHIFF. Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay special recognition to 
John Van de Kamp upon being named recipient of the Jim Pfeiffer Award 
for the year 2007.
  John Van de Kamp's long and distinguished commitment to public 
service began following his graduation from Stanford Law School. Mr. 
Van de Kamp's career started in Los Angeles where he worked in the U.S. 
Attorney's Office from 1960 to 1967. After briefly serving as U.S. 
Attorney for the Central District of California, he relocated to 
Washington, DC. and became the Director of the Executive Office of

[[Page 9711]]

U.S. Attorneys. In 1971, Mr. Van de Kamp returned to Los Angeles to 
become the Central District's first Federal Public Defender. John was 
appointed Los Angeles County District Attorney in 1976, and 
subsequently elected to the position. In 1982, he was elected 
California's Attorney General, where he served for 2 terms. Mr. Van de 
Kamp later joined the Law firm of Dewey Ballantine LLP, where he is 
currently of counsel.
  In 1999 Mr. Van de Kamp was appointed by National Association of 
Attorneys to The Strategic Contribution Fund Allocation Committee to 
recommend distribution of the $8 billion of tobacco settlement 
proceeds. He served on the Board of the State Bar of California, was 
elected as the 80th President of the State Bar of California, and 
served nearly 30 years as an L.A. County Delegate to the Conference of 
Delegates.
  John's strong commitment to community service can also be seen in his 
dedication to nonprofit organizations. His board affiliations include 
The Planning and Conservation League, Norton Simon Museum, and the Los 
Angeles Conservation Corps. Mr. Van de Kamp has served on the ABA's 
Special Committee on Criminal Justice in a Free Society, ABA's Task 
Force on the Federalization of Criminal Law, and the ABA's Commission 
on Effective Criminal Sanctions. He is Chair of the Community Campaign 
for Schools for the Pasadena Education Foundation, the RAND's Advisory 
Committee on Infrastructure, Security and the Environment, City of 
Pasadena's Task Force on Good Government, and the Chair of the 
Commission on Fair Administration of Justice.
  John Van de Kamp lives in Pasadena with his wife Andrea. They have 
one daughter, Diana.
  I ask all Members of Congress to join with me today in honoring an 
outstanding individual of California's 29th District, John Van de Kamp. 
The entire community joins me in thanking John for his success and 
continued efforts toward making the 29th District a more enjoyable 
place in which to work and live.

                          ____________________