Anthony Wayne Van Leer. Sometimes Commander or Captain Anthony Wayne Van Leer. (Capt.). Born 6/27/1908, Washington. Died 10/15/2000. Married 10/22/1936 at Great Falls Church, Virginia to Grace Beaman (born 1/13/1907 in Washington). Grace is the daughter of Maurice Reagan and Elizabeth Bailey Beaman of North Carolina. Anthony Wayne graduated Central High School and later from Dartmouth in 1930 in civil engineering.
Anthony Wayne Van Leer
Like his father Carlos Van Leer, he had an established military career. He maintained and grew an established career in the Navy. He served in the Pacific during World War II and was the Commander of the Supply Corps in Hawaii during the Attack on Pearl Harbor. After obtaining the rank of Captain he retired from the Navy and also became a Captain in the Navy Reserves. He was later called upon by the White House to supervised construction and engineering and repairs at the White House during the first administration of President Franklin Roosevelt. He then became the buildings manager for the Justice Department and later assigned as manager of the National Park Service. He worked for the General Services Administration and Great Lakes Steel before joining the Steel and construction supply firm that became Graham, VanLeer and Elmore. Like his forbears he was be involved in the Steel industry. He was was the president of the Washington Building Congress, a large association with over 1,000 members in the building industry, including: property owners and managers, developers, general contractors, subcontractors, suppliers, realtors, architects, engineers, government officials, public utilities, accountants and various unions. President of a Washington chapter of the Producers Council and the Kenwood Citizens Association.
He served on the vestry of All Saints Episcopal Church in Chevy Chase and was a director of the citizens association of Sherwood Forest, a member of the Washington Building Congress, Zeta Psi social fraternity, Sherwood Forest Club in Annapolis, Columbia Country Club and Annapolis Yacht Club. His honors included the Severn River Trophy. He spent most of his final days living in the Annapolis area and boating. His branch is survived by Betsy VanLeer Albaugh of Sherwood Forest, and two grandchildren.
The members of Mount Zion A.M.E. Church supported the Anti-Slavery Society’s effort to help runaway slaves reach freedom. New Jersey was intimately associated with Philadelphia and the adjoining section in the Underground Railroad System. New Jersey provided at least three important outlets for runaways, from the territory South and West of the Delaware River.
About the Church
The Mount Zion African Methodist Episcopal Church (A.M.E.) Church is a one-story frame church built about 1834, remodeled in 1887, and enlarged in 1959. It stands on the northwesterly side of Garwin Road (formerly Hendrickson Mill Road) in Woolwich Township, Gloucester County, about one-quarter mile from the intersection of Garwin Road and U.S. Route 322. This site lies within the African American settlement of Small Gloucester (also known as Dutchtown,
Underground Railroad
Mount Zion African Methodist Episcopal Church
The Lewis and Sharper families were among the original members of the Mount Zion A.M.E. Church. The Vanleers, Blacks and Rulons were a the few families in Woolwich Township that financially supported the Underground Railroad movement Ref PA Archives. The members of Mount Zion A.M.E. Church supported the Anti-Slavery Society’s effort to help runaway slaves reach freedom. New Jersey was intimately associated with Philadelphia and the adjoining section in the Underground Railroad System. New Jersey provided at least three important outlets for runaways, from the territory South and West of the Delaware River. Many runaway slaves were directed to freedom, by way of those Underground Railroad outlets (Siebert 1968, 123). Some African-Americans living in Small Gloucester were runaway slaves. The community understood the plight of the runaway slaves in their efforts to seek freedom by way of the Underground Railroad. The Church edifice became a station on the Underground Railroad, through which slaves made their way to freedom (Ferrell, Wilson, White, Stewart, Payne and Smith 1997).
A fun family tradition is highlighting the connection to Bruce Wayne. Writer Bill Finger named Bruce Wayne after our ancestor Anthony Wayne and used him as inspiration. Therefore it is family tradition that we’re not saying we’re Batman and we’re also not saying we’re not Batman…
Another fun fact, Wayne’s real descendant Blake R Van Leer was an orphan like the fictional character Bruce Wayne.
Blake also grew up as an orphanBatman showing ancestor Anthony Wayne
Much of our Civil War collection is sourced by HMM Richards. All accounts mention most family members supporting the union or taking a neutral stance by moving to parts of Texas or beyond (even California in some cases). The records also indicates that affiliate families on the confederate side e.g. Polks, etc were probably unknowingly shooting at their Van Leer cousins on the battlefield. Records also include former union and confederate families coming together post war through marriage. Today we cover a bullet through his pretty head.
To see more of the Civil War collection, visit here.
Anthony was an American military officer and statesman who joined the American Revolutionary War with enthusiasm. His significant contributions to the success of the Revolution are widely documented and there are numerous published biographies available. The most accurate book about Anthony is probably the most recent book “The Unlikely General” by Mary Stockwell, which celebrates all of his strengths along with many human flaws. At the Van Leer Archives we focus more on his personal side with a letters about his relationships with family, sisters and the Van Leers.
Archive Description
The story of the famous Van Leer neighbors known as the Waynes can be found here. It is tradition that fiery “Wayne” blood runs through Van Leer descendants as a positive and negative character trait depending who is asking. Van Leers in Pennsylvania are recorded in the Estelle Cremers book as being graceful, yet not afraid of confrontation, which aligns well in service for a general such as Anthony Wayne. For an example letter between Uncle Anty Wayne as he liked to be called, you can see a letter under Samuel’s page after his sister died.
While still in his teens Wayne came to the attention of Benjamin Franklin as an exceptionally capable and reliable young man. He headed an expedition for Franklin to explore settling Nova Scotia in 1666-67 when he was only 20 years old. His job included surveying the land, procuring land patents, supervising settlers, etc. Historians believe that it was Benjamin Franklin’s support that won Wayne his commission as colonel in one of the four Pennsylvania Regiments on Jan. 4, 1776. He was promoted to Brigadier General on Feb. 21, 1777 and to Major General and Commander-in-Chief of the American Army in 1792. Wayne is credited with playing an important role in keeping some of the early defeats from being disasters–Brandywine, Paoli, Germantown. And in the later years, it was Wayne who commanded stunning victories at Stony Point, Yorktown, Savannah, and Fallen Timbers. His fanatical determination earned him the nickname “Mad” Anthony Wayne. While his letters do indicate a real warmth for his children, his letters to his wife, Polly, are businesslike. On several occasions, he was called to Philadelphia on business, but would not bother to visit Paoli (only 15 miles away). Up until recently, there has not been a book which delves deeper into why and The Unlikely General does a great job filling in the gaps.
Legacy
Wayne would later be praised by President Theodore Roosevelt as America’s best fighting general.
Wayne is also the namesake in which Batman’s secret identity, Bruce Wayne, with Batman co-creator Bill Finger citing both Robert the Bruce and “Mad” Anthony Wayne as the two sources of the fictional character’s name. That’s right, Batman is named after Anthony Wayne!
Wayne also appears as the leader of a ghost army in IDW Publishing’s Ghostbusters comics.
The door in Senate room 128 features a 19th-century fresco painting by Constantino Brumidi named “Storming at Stonypoint, General Wayne wounded in the head carried to the fort.”[57] On September 14, 1929, the U.S. Post Office issued a stamp honoring General Wayne which commemorated the 135th anniversary of the Battle of Fallen Timbers. The post office issued a series of stamps often referred to as the “Two Cent Reds” by collectors, most of them issued to commemorate the 150th anniversaries of the many events that occurred during the American Revolution. The stamp shows Bruce Saville‘s Battle of Fallen Timbers Monument.
General Wayne Statue
Descendants and other relatives
The Wayne name due to be neighbors, finally by marriage and now blood is passed down through many Van Leers, which can be found through the family tree.
Some relatives and descendants include:
Isaac Wayne (1772–1852), Wayne’s son, was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania.
Captain William Evans Wayne (1828-1901), fought in the Civil War for the Union.
Isaac Wayne Van Leer (1846-1861), enlisted for the Union during the Civil War at age 15 and was documented in several publications for his patriotism.
The Village of Lima is historically significant because its 19th Century
residents were active in the anti-slavery and Washingtonian temperance
movements. The involvement of ordinary citizens in both of these socially
responsible causes was instrumental in shaping the cultural and political
history of the united States.
Philadelphia was the center of the early anti-slavery movement. Initially
the Quakers were the most outspoken opponents of slavery. However, with the
evangelical revival in the late 18th Century the Methodists and Baptists
became very active in the anti-slavery movement. By 1790 the various
anti-slavery societies were meeting in a yearly convention for the purpose of
adopting plans and policies to encourage the manumission of slaves and to help
the newly freed slaves to be assimilated into free white society in the
northern states. The Quakers and Methodists of Middletown Township, Delaware
County practiced what they preached.
In the Village of Lima, free black tradesmen were resident owners of five of the ten houses within in the Village of Lima historical district. The free black community expanded as more parcels of ground were subdivided from the Rattew-Fox farm and conveyed to free black men. These lots were located along a private road that was later named Van Leer Avenue after John Van Leer and Van Leer family members. The Van Leers owned nearby Cabins which were used as Underground Railroad stations. They are on record financially supporting the stations through a local AME Church and were also noted for attending anti-slavery committee meetings. Sixty-nine acres along, what is now, Van Leer Avenue was sold to John P. Van Leer who subdivided 2 to 4 acre lots and sold or donated them to the free black occupants or only to people who were supportive of the free black community. There are records of “Vanleers” and other residents with both African and Caucasian ancestry in this area.Ref PA Archives
The Lima Methodist Church was built on one of the small lots. Roughly half a mile down the road there was a meeting house which was actually a station in the underground railroad to help runaway slaves. There is a recorded account of a group of men raiding the buildings for a fugitive slave, which they did not find.
By 1852 the free black community in Lima was sufficiently large and secure that it established its own house of worship near Lima. Renowned Underground Railroad “conductor” Harriet Tubman was known to point fugitives North to West Chester, West to Kennett Square or East to Delaware County and Philadelphia. Because of the strong support from white farmers in these areas, these routes were considered reasonably secure. In Media, Delaware County, the Providence Friends Meeting was known as an active participant of the Underground Railroad. Historians have also determined that the Honeycomb A.M.E Church, definitely sheltered escaped slaves. The Honey Comb A.M.E Church still holds regular services in the building erected on a lot subdivided from the farm.
In 1832, the Methodists living in and around the Village of Lima founded the Lima Methodist Church, despite the objection of and harassment by some of the more unruly patrons of the Blackhorse and Pine-Apple Taverns. By 1848 the residents of Lima and members of the Methodist Church established a temperance hall on North Pennell Road as part of the Washingtonian Temperance
movement.
About the Village
It’s located at the intersection of North Middletown (laid
out in 1686), North Pennell (laid out in 1750) and Barren Roads (laid out c.
1836).
By 1798 The Village of Lima consisted of six log dwelling houses, two barns
and a blacksmith shop. Early in the 19th Century all of the log structures
were replaced with stone buildings.
The Lima Store and Joseph Starr’s 1833 house and the frame home on the north side of Middletown Road have all been razed. However the remaining buildings have retained their architectural integrity.
The History of Chester County, Pennsylvania, 1881 gives a detailed account of this young man’s devotion to the Union.
Private Isaac Wayne Van Leer, Co. B, 53rd Pennsylvania Infantry. (D. Scott Hartzell collection, via USAMHI)
Fighting with coolness bravery,” is how Captain C.M.G. Eicholtz of Co, B, 53rd Pennsylvania Volunteers described 15 -year-old Isaac Van Leer during the Battle of Fair Oaks, Virginia. Eicholtz reported that Van Leer’s voice could be heard ringing out, “shrill and clear” above all others as he cried, “Steady, boys, steady.” Isaac Wayne Van Leer was born on June 15, 1846 not far from Elverson, Pennsylvania. Growing up, he was characterized by his family and friends as loyal and high-spirited. Not much is known about his antebellum life, but when southern cannon fired across the harbor on Fort Sumter, Isaac was barely fifteen years old. Though young, he could not stand around while others were enlisting, so Isaac left home without his father’s knowledge or permission. Knowing he was too young, Van Leer told the enlisting officer in Harrisburg that he was 18 years of age and even assumed a fictitious name. Once his father discovered that his son joined the army, he determined to bring him back home. He asked a relative, Captain John Potts, to watch for his son and persuade him to return home. However when Potts confronted the youth, Van Leer replied, “I cannot go home; I feel it my duty to go to war.” Potts promised his father that he would watch over him and keep Van Leer in his company. While the 53rd Pennsylvania trained and did provost guard duty at Camp Curtin, Van Leer caught typhoid fever. His sister Ellen Francis came to Harrisburg and nursed him. Finally, after nursing him back to health and after many attempts to persuade him to return home, his sister left him with these words, “Dear brother, if the rebels should put a bullet through this pretty head, how it would spoil it.” He replied, “Not more than any other man’s; and somebody’s must be spoiled.” The 53rd was part of the reserve division during the siege of Yorktown. Late in May, the 53rd assisted in building a grapevine bridge across the Chickahominy River. Shooting began around 5 a.m. on the morning of June 1 in the woods around Fair Oaks and shortly afterwards, the green regiment, which was attached to Sumner’s division, would see its first action of the war. At some point during the fiercest of the day’s fighting, an order was given in the regiment adjacent to the 53rd to retreat, and the troops in the 53rd started to retreat as well. Captain Eicholtz of Co. B realized that this order was a mistake and ordered his company forward, the rest of the regiment soon following. Eicholtz noted that Van Leer was one of the first men to step forward when the order was given and that he fought gallantly. Van Leer soon was wounded severely in the ankle and fell to his knees being unable to stand because of the intense pain. Even so he managed to load and fire his Springfield a few more times after being wounded until a bullet hit him in the head, knocking him unconscious. To make matters worse, as the Confederates advanced towards the end of the day, Van Leer also received a serious bayonet wound to the side. It would be two days before his comrades would be able to remove him from the field. When they finally reached him, the muscles in his mouth were so paralyzed that he could not even form a single utterance. Van Leer was removed to a hospital at Fortress Monroe, and according to Captain Eicholtz, it was nine days before the balls that struck him were removed. He was next taken to a New York hospital where Ellen Francis came to nurse him. His wounds finally took their toll and Isaac Van Leer succumbed on June 19th, 1862, just four days after his sixteenth birthday
Written by Joel Peterson from Military Images Magazine
Military Images, Vol. 24, No. 3 (November/December 2002), p. 29
This is the story about the Van Leer Cabins. There are two cabins still standing today, which served as a underground railroad stations. The family is on record financially supporting the stations through a local AME Church on this page. The Van Leers were close friends of the Earle family and a George Hussey Earle Sr. married Samuels granddaughter (Ellen) Frances Van Leer. George was a prominent local Philadelphia lawyer and well known abolitionist who represented many fugitive slaves. He was a founder of the Republican party. Frances and George who also play an important role in anti-slavery movement. In the 1830s Frances’s cousin John P Van Leer went so far as to setup custom lots for newly free African Americans. He was documented setting up numerous housing lots over sixty-nine acres along only for newly freed people or those who supported newly free people.
Van Leer Cabin
Van Leer Cabin
One of the last historical dwellings in Tredyffrin Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania and played a significant role in architectural history like most historical log cabins during colonial times. The Van Leer Cabin followed a German style, where logs are set tightly together and even at the corners. Dr. Bernardhus Van Leer owned the land on where this Cabin stood. His son Samuel and grandchildren would own it through generations. Samuel and his family were documented supporting black communities and newly freed slaves. Some historians list this Cabin as an underground railroad station, others as an above ground safe haven. The cabin still stands at the grounds of Conestoga High School. It was revitalized by students and teachers years ago and is now part of the American History Course.
Mortonson–Van Leer Log Cabin
Van Leer Cabin on Underground Railroad Station
This cabin is an historic cabin and one of the last historical dwellings in Swedesboro,NJ and is one of the oldest original log cabins of early Swedish-Finnish architecture in the United States. The cabin was originally built along the north bank of the Raccoon River by Morton Mortenson, a Swedish-Finnish man who arrived in the Delaware Valley, at that time part of the colony of New Sweden, in May 1654. Mortenson’s great-grandson, John Morton, would go on to sign the Declaration of Independence as a Pennsylvania delegate. The cabin was later acquired by the Van Leers and would be utilized as an Underground Railroad station and trading station for Native Americans. The Cabin has strong ties to the Episcopalian and Quaker communities who known for supporting Black communities.
Hussey Earle Sr Poem about Frances:
George Hussey Earle Sr
In 1892 Earle’s wife [Ellen] Frances Van Leer died. After her death, Earle penned a poem—the last stanza which reads:
“I do not think, where’er thou art, Thou hast forgotten me; And I perhaps may soothe this heart, In thinking still of thee. Yet there was round thee such a dawn Of light ne’er seen before, As Fancy never could have drawn, And never can restore!”
Van Leer was already catching heat for pushing through a vote to allow women into Georgia Tech. The vote passed by a split decision. During the lead up to the 1956 Sugar Bowl, Van Leer received death threats, media and political pressure to cancel this game…
Summary:
Segregationists tried to keep Pitt fullback/linebacker Bobby Grier from playing because he was black. Georgia Tech president Van Leer and coach Dodd met with Governor Marvin Griffin privately who gave his blessing and promised not to interfere. Shortly after Georgia Tech accepted the invitation, Governor Griffin did the exact opposite. He would fire off telegrams to national press and government entities. Griffin went so far as to publicly threatened the Georgia Tech’s president to cancel the game. Griffin also attempted to lay pressure on Van Leer through the Board of Regents to fire him. Ultimately, Bobby Grier played making this the first integrated Sugar Bowl and is regarded as the first integrated bowl game in the Deep South. Van Leer would die two weeks after the game due to stress.
Van Leer and Griffin Clash publicly
Students riot
Bobby Grier with teammates
Van Leer Georgia Tech Meeting
Game Day
The story is celebrate by Grier & Van Leer’s descendants Rob Grier and Blake Van Leer III who are friends to this day. Archive content, letters, recordings and other items available upon request.
Van Leer’s long military career started with his appointment as second Lieutenant Engineer in thefor the U.S. Army in July 1917. He was promoted after World War I and became a Captain. Van Leer was awarded the French Croix de Guerre. He later became a colonel before WW2.
Newspaper clipping
Blake Ragsdale Van Leer (August 16, 1893 – January 23, 1956) was an engineer, military officer, and university professor who became the fifth president of the Georgia Institute of Technology. A visionary leader, he expanded Georgia Tech into the South’s premier engineering institution, championed racial integration, and played a key role in shaping the future of higher education.
Early Life and Education
Born in Mangum, Oklahoma, Van Leer was raised in Fort Worth, Texas, in an all-girls Masonic orphanage after his father’s passing in 1897. Even as a child, he was determined to become an engineer. He earned his electrical engineering degree with honors from Purdue University in 1915 and later pursued an M.S. in mechanical engineering while working at the University of California, Berkeley in 1920. His academic journey also included studies at the University of Caen in France and Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich. Over the years, he was awarded honorary doctorates from Washington & Jefferson College and Purdue University.
In 1924, Van Leer married Ella Lillian Wall in Berkeley, California, and together they built a family dedicated to education and service.
Military and Academic Career
Van Leer’s career blended engineering, military service, and education. During World War I, he served as a U.S. Army officer, leading engineering teams that built critical battlefield infrastructure. His unit played a vital role in constructing bridges and holding strategic positions under enemy fire. He continued his service in the Army Reserve, attaining the rank of Colonel.
His academic career began as an engineering professor, and by 1932, he became a dean at the University of Florida. During the Great Depression, he collaborated with educator and civil rights activist Mary McLeod Bethune to secure federal funding for Florida institutions. In 1937, he was appointed Dean of the School of Engineering at North Carolina State University (NC State), where he introduced the first graduate engineering programs.
At NC State, he advocated for women in engineering, encouraging and supporting the first five women to enroll in the program. One of his students, Katharine Stinson, later co-founded the Society of Women Engineers and became the Federal Aviation Administration’s first female engineer.
During World War II, Van Leer took military leave from academia to serve as an officer once again. His expertise in engineering and leadership earned him an appointment by President Harry S. Truman to the Board of the United States Naval Academy, where he helped modernize its curriculum.
President of Georgia Tech
Returning from military service, Van Leer was appointed President of Georgia Tech in 1944. Under his leadership, the school grew into the largest engineering institution in the South and the third largest in the U.S. and Canada. He was instrumental in securing major research partnerships, attracting corporations like Lockheed to Atlanta, and elevating Georgia Tech’s reputation as the “MIT of the South.”
Van Leer also played a significant role in advancing civil rights and diversity in higher education. He oversaw the admission of women into Georgia Tech’s night school and later fought to allow them full enrollment. His relentless efforts led to the 1956 Sugar Bowl stance.
His leadership extended beyond Georgia Tech. He served as a member of UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization), where he worked on initiatives combating racism and promoting scientific collaboration. He was also appointed to the board of the US Naval Academy by the President. At both Georgia Tech and the Academy he was connected to future president Jimmy Carter where he advocated he join the Naval Academy.
The 1956 Sugar Bowl and Defiance Against Segregation
One of Van Leer’s most defining moments came in late 1955 when Georgia Governor Marvin Griffin attempted to prevent Georgia Tech from playing against the University of Pittsburgh in the 1956 Sugar Bowl because Pittsburgh had a Black player, Bobby Grier.
Governor Griffin pressured Georgia Tech’s Board of Regents to withdraw from the game, calling for punishment of those who supported racial integration. Students, faculty, and the football team turned to Van Leer for leadership. In response, he delivered an unequivocal statement:
“Either we’re going to the Sugar Bowl, or you can find yourself another damn president of Georgia Tech.”
His defiance garnered a standing ovation from Georgia Tech’s faculty senate, and the game went on as planned, setting a precedent for future integration in Southern sports.
Legacy and Impact
Van Leer’s impact extended far beyond his presidency. He played a critical role in founding Southern Polytechnic State University (which later merged with Kennesaw State University). His leadership and advocacy for women and minorities in engineering reshaped the academic landscape.
His legacy is honored through the Van Leer Building, home to Georgia Tech’s School of Electrical and Computer Engineering. NC State University named the Van Leer Society after him, recognizing his contributions to engineering education. In 1964, Georgia Tech established the Blake R. Van Leer Scholarship for out-of-state students. A sculpture by artist Julian Hoke Harris commemorates his courageous stance against Governor Griffin.
In 2022, a film was announced about the 1956 Sugar Bowl, featuring Van Leer as a central figure.
Personal Life and Family
Van Leer was a descendant of the Van Leer family, with historical ties to American Revolutionary War officer Samuel Van Leer and Founding Father General Anthony Wayne. His dedication to education and engineering continued through his children, all of whom pursued careers in engineering. His daughter, Maryly Van Leer Peck, became a college president and women’s rights advocate. His son, Blake Wayne Van Leer, became a high-ranking officer in the U.S. Navy, while his youngest son, Samuel Van Leer, earned multiple engineering degrees from Georgia Tech and later led private schools.
Samuel Van Leer once reflected on his father’s legacy, saying:
“He could imagine a Ramblin’ Wreck from Georgia Tech being anyone—he did not concern himself with race or gender, he was always progressive.”
His wife Ella Van Leer also has an impressive career. All while raising three children, Ella was able to maintain a career and be a woman’s advocate. In 1915, she received an M.A. in Art and Architecture after defending her thesis “The Functions of Rhythm Motives in Decorative Design,”, subjects she later taught at several high schools in California. In July 1918, a year after the United States entered the First World War, Ella enlisted in the Army Nursing Corps. She was tasked with various therapies, medical illustration and leading facial paralysis cases, before being mobilized for overseas duty four months later. She returned to the United States in March 1920, and after serving in the U.S.A. General Hospital 3 in Colonia, New Jersey, she went back to California to teach. In 1923, she became the first woman to serve in an office of the American Legion in California, as second vice commander of the Berkeley Post.
In 1940: worked for the Quartermaster General’s Office as a draftsman; 1944: Col. Van Leer becomes the 5th president of Georgia Tech, she becomes 1st Lady of Tech; 1948: Designs President’s House with architect Henry Toombs; 1949: Interior designer of House, including choosing paint colors, furnishing with family antiques and portraits; hosts luncheons and receptions for move; 1954: Assists in chartering first sorority at Tech, Alpha Xi Delta and becomes “unofficial dean of women”; 1956: President Van Leer passes away and she begins her life as widow, volunteer, homeowner/housemother to early women; 1959 director of volunteers and trustee of Egleston Children’s Hospital and activist for women’s rights; 1976: retires in Alexandria, VA; 1986 passes at the age of 93.
