VAN DYKE, John, jurist, born in Lamington, New Jersey, 3 April, 1807; died in Wabasha, Minnesota, 24 December, 1878. He was admitted to the New Jersey bar in 1836, and immediately rose to prominence in the Suydam-Robinson murder trial. He held many offices of trust and was the first president of the Bank of New Jersey at New Brunswick. He was elected to congress in 1847 and served two terms, during which his course was marked by bitter opposition to slavery. In politics he was a Whig, and afterward one of the founders of the Republican party in New Jersey. In 1859 he became one of the state supreme court judges, which post he held until 1866. Two years later he went to Minnesota, and was there, by special appointment, judge of the 3d judicial district. He published some anti-slavery pamphlets and contributed to magazines.--His son, Theodore Strong, author, born in New Brunswick, New Jersey, 19 July, 1842, was graduated at Princeton in 1863, and admitted to the bar in 1866. He practised law in Minnesota from 1869 till 1876, when feeble health forced him to remove to southern California. He chose literature in nature for his subject, and soon became known through his letters on shooting, fishing, natural history, and gun-rifling in sporting journals. He was the first to make known the internal beauties and advantages of southern California to the sportsman, settler, and invalid. In 1884 he travelled through Mexico as a special correspondent for several New York papers. In addition to his magazine and newspaper contributions, he has published " The Rifle, Rod, and Gun in California" (New York, 1881); "The Still Hunter" (1883) ; "Southern California" (1886); and "Southern California the Italy of America" (San Diego, California, 1887). -Another son, John Charles, author, born in New Brunswick, New Jersey, 21 April, 1856, was admitted to the New York bar in 1877, but immediately abandoned the law for literature. He studied art in Europe in 1883, 1887, and 1888, was editor of the "Studio " in 1884, and, besides many articles in magazines and newspapers, principally on art topics, has published "Books, and how to use Them " (New York, 1883) ; "Principles of Art" (1887) ; and "How to judge of a Picture" (1888).