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Van Rensselaer, Martha

(Encyclopedia)Van Rensselaer, Martha, 1864–1932, American home economist and pioneer in the development of extension courses for women in rural areas, b. Randolph, N.Y. In 1900 she joined the faculty of Cornell t...

Van Rensselaer, Stephen

(Encyclopedia)Van Rensselaer, Stephen, 1764–1839, American political leader and soldier, called the Patroon, b. New York City. He spent some years managing his property, which included most of the present-day Alb...

Van Schaick, Goose

(Encyclopedia)Van Schaick, Goose gōˈsə văn skīk [key], 1736–89, American Revolutionary soldier, b. Albany, N.Y. He fought in the French and Indian War, becoming (1760) lieutenant colonel of a New York regime...

Van Twiller, Wouter

(Encyclopedia)Van Twiller, Wouter, fl. 1632–1640, Dutch director-general of New Netherland. A nephew of Kiliaen Van Rensselaer, he was appointed to succeed Peter Minuit and arrived in New Amsterdam in 1633. Consi...

Van Vechten, Carl

(Encyclopedia)Van Vechten, Carl văn vĕkˈtən [key], 1880–1964, American music critic, novelist, and photographer, b. Cedar Rapids, Iowa, grad. Univ. of Chicago, 1903. While he was a leading music and dance cri...

Van Zeeland, Paul

(Encyclopedia)Van Zeeland, Paul pōl vän zāˈlänt [key], 1893–1973, Belgian political leader. He was a professor of law and later director of the institute of economic science at the Univ. of Louvain and vice ...

van Zweden, Jaap

(Encyclopedia)van Zweden, Jaap yäp vän zvāˈdĕn [key], 1960–, Dutch conductor and violonist, b. Amsterdam. An accomplished violonist, he was appointed concertmaster of Amsterdam's Royal Concertgebouw Orchestr...

Veen, Maarten van

(Encyclopedia)Veen, Maarten van: see Heemskerck. ...

Beethoven, Ludwig van

(Encyclopedia)Beethoven, Ludwig van lŭdˈwĭg văn bāˈtōvən, Ger. lo͝otˈvĭkh fän bātˈhōfən [key], 1770–1827, German composer. He is universally recognized as one of the greatest composers of the West...

Thieu, Nguyen Van

(Encyclopedia)Thieu, Nguyen Van nəwēˈĕn vän tēˈo͞o, tyo͞o [key], 1924–2001, president of the former Republic of South Vietnam (1967–75). After World War II, he joined the Viet Minh, but then left it to...