Van Staaveren, Jacob, October 14, 1979

Jacob Van Staaveren (April 9, 1917 - July 4, 1999) was a historian and author who grew up in Portland, OR. He received his bachelor’s from Linfield College and his master's from the University of Chicago in 1943. He took courses at the Oriental Institute at Chicago, taking a job with Civil Affairs while doing PhD work. He arrived in Japan in 1946 and worked in the Civil Information and Education Section of the Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers (SCAP). While in Japan, Van Staaveren worked with the Yamanashi Military Government Team to inspect schools in the area to make sure there was no resurgence of militarism. He for two years before returning to Chicago in 1948. He soon left again for Japan when he received an offer from Civil Services to work as a historian in the Economic Affairs Division to write a history of the Occupation. He went on to work as the historian for the Fifth Air Force during the war in Korea and then for the Far East Command and United Nations Command in the Military History Liaison Office in Tokyo until 1956. After moving back to the United States he worked in the Office of Air Force History for more than twenty years until his retirement in 1981. On July 4, 1999, Jacob Van Staaveren passed away at the age of 82. A day after his death, he was posthumously honored with Japan's prestigious Noguchi Prize for his book about his time in Japan titled, "An American in Japan, 1945-1948: A Civilian View of the Occupation."