Donald West VanArtsdalen


Donald West VanArtsdalen was a Senior United States District Judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.

Education and career

Born in Doylestown, Pennsylvania, VanArtsdalen received a Bachelor of Laws form the University of Pennsylvania Law School in 1948. He was in the Canadian Army from 1940 to 1942, and a United States Army Sergeant from 1942 to 1945. He was in private practice in Doylestown from 1948 to 1970, including a period as district attorney for Bucks County, Pennsylvania from 1954 to 1958.

Federal judicial service

On September 10, 1970, President Richard Nixon nominated VanArtsdalen to a new seat on the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania created by 84 Stat. 294. VanArtsdalen was confirmed by the United States Senate on October 8, 1970, and received his commission on October 15, 1970. He assumed senior status on October 21, 1985. He died on May 21, 2019, aged 99, after battling leukemia.