Walter H. Van Hoesen Scrapbook Collection

Walter H. Van Hoesen (1897-1977) was a New Jersey reporter, author, and president of R. F. Downing Inc., freight forwarders and customs brokers. He also served as president of The New Jersey Society of the Sons of the American Revolution. He became a reporter in 1915 and worked for several newspapers in New Jersey and New York, including The Newark Sunday News and The Newark Star Eagle. Van Hoesen wrote newspaper columns on antiques for The New York Sun and The World Telegram, and eventually began contributing a weekly column titled “Appeal of Antiques” (1956-1969) to The Newark Sunday News. His extensive research of antiques and the early craftspeople of New Jersey began in 1930, informing his newspaper columns and his book Crafts and Craftsmen of New Jersey (1973), which explores the techniques of New Jersey craftsmen prior to 1830.

In addition to his interest in antiques, Van Hoesen also authored A 100-Year History of Foreign Trade, served on the Commission on Tariff Negotiations in 1947, and served as president of the New York Freight Forwarders and Brokers Association.