Robert Van Kampen
Encyclopedia
Robert D. Van Kampen was a businessman and member of various organizational boards in the business world and Christian ministry.
Van Kampen's business career took him into the investment banking world, and he became one of the wealthiest men in the United States
after founding the investment banking firm Van Kampen Merrit in 1974. In the 1990s, Van Kampen developed what is known today in fundamentalist Christian eschatology
as the “"Pre-Wrath” rapture position
, authoring three books on the subject.
in West Chicago and Wheaton College
in Wheaton, Illinois, graduating in 1960.
brokerage firm to set up his own partnership. In 1974 "The Charger", as he became known, developed a niche bond product when he pioneered insurance coverage for tax-exempt bond funds. After New York City
’s near-default in 1975, investors flocked to Van Kampen’s insured unit investment trusts. In 1982, the company broke records in the industry by introducing a $125 million Insured Municipal Income Trust (IMIT), soon followed by an even larger $128.5 IMIT. By 1983, the company now known as Van Kampen Merritt, Inc. had sold nearly $7 billion of trusts and was the nation’s third-largest firm in that arena. In 1984, Van Kampen sold the firm to Xerox Corporation
for about $200 million.
was frowned upon and the drinking of hard liquor discouraged.
. His three published books were:
, worth approximately $200 million. The trust owns one of the largest private collections of rare and antique Bible
s in North America, presently housed in the Scriptorium at the Holy Land Experience
in Orlando
, Florida
.
The trust also owned Hampton Court, Herefordshire
, a later medieval country house converted into a Christian study centre. In the decade until it was sold in January 2008, approximately £12 million was invested into the restoration of Hampton Court and its surrounding parkland, including the creation of the nationally significant Van Kampen garden. There was a grand opening for the garden after his death in the summer of 2000, in which he had donated 100,000 for the Indiana Wesleyan Univerity Chorale to come and perform for the Grand Opening.
Van Kampen's business career took him into the investment banking world, and he became one of the wealthiest men in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
after founding the investment banking firm Van Kampen Merrit in 1974. In the 1990s, Van Kampen developed what is known today in fundamentalist Christian eschatology
Eschatology
Eschatology is a part of theology, philosophy, and futurology concerned with what are believed to be the final events in history, or the ultimate destiny of humanity, commonly referred to as the end of the world or the World to Come...
as the “"Pre-Wrath” rapture position
Prewrath
The Prewrath rapture is one of several premillennial views on the end-times events among evangelical Christians, and states that Christians will be raptured at the end of the great tribulation, and before the day of the Lord's wrath , sometime during the second half of the seventieth week of Daniel...
, authoring three books on the subject.
Biography
Born in Chicago, Illinois; Van Kampen was educated at Wheaton AcademyWheaton Academy
Wheaton Academy is a private, non-denominational Christian high school, that is known for being an educational institution committed to the evangelical Christian faith...
in West Chicago and Wheaton College
Wheaton College (Illinois)
Wheaton College is a private, evangelical Protestant liberal arts college in Wheaton, Illinois, a suburb west of Chicago in the United States...
in Wheaton, Illinois, graduating in 1960.
Van Kampen Merrit
In 1968 at age 30, Van Kampen left a secure job at a local ChicagoChicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
brokerage firm to set up his own partnership. In 1974 "The Charger", as he became known, developed a niche bond product when he pioneered insurance coverage for tax-exempt bond funds. After New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
’s near-default in 1975, investors flocked to Van Kampen’s insured unit investment trusts. In 1982, the company broke records in the industry by introducing a $125 million Insured Municipal Income Trust (IMIT), soon followed by an even larger $128.5 IMIT. By 1983, the company now known as Van Kampen Merritt, Inc. had sold nearly $7 billion of trusts and was the nation’s third-largest firm in that arena. In 1984, Van Kampen sold the firm to Xerox Corporation
Rank Xerox
Rank Xerox was formed in 1956 as a joint venture between the Xerox Corporation of U.S. and the Rank Organisation of UK, to manufacture and market Xerox equipment initially in Europe and later in Africa and Asia...
for about $200 million.
Later businesses
As a strict Christian fundamentalist, Van Kampen was known for applying "biblical" principles to the running of his business, and there was a strict code of personal conduct among his many employees. DivorceDivorce
Divorce is the final termination of a marital union, canceling the legal duties and responsibilities of marriage and dissolving the bonds of matrimony between the parties...
was frowned upon and the drinking of hard liquor discouraged.
Published works
Van Kampen's published work primarily focused upon development of the "pre-wrath rapture" position within fundamentalist Christian eschatologyEschatology
Eschatology is a part of theology, philosophy, and futurology concerned with what are believed to be the final events in history, or the ultimate destiny of humanity, commonly referred to as the end of the world or the World to Come...
. His three published books were:
- The Sign - A discourse on the "end times," focusing on the "Pre-Wrath Rapture"
- The Fourth Reich - A novel about the "end times"
- The Rapture Question Answered
Trust
The family now controls his former assets via the trust named Sola ScripturaSola scriptura
Sola scriptura is the doctrine that the Bible contains all knowledge necessary for salvation and holiness. Consequently, sola scriptura demands that only those doctrines are to be admitted or confessed that are found directly within or indirectly by using valid logical deduction or valid...
, worth approximately $200 million. The trust owns one of the largest private collections of rare and antique Bible
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
s in North America, presently housed in the Scriptorium at the Holy Land Experience
Holy Land Experience
The Holy Land Experience is a themed exhibit and a museum located in Orlando, Florida that is meant to replicate the architecture and themes of 1st century Israel. The attraction is targeted at Christians.- Founding :...
in Orlando
Orlando, Florida
Orlando is a city in the central region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of Orange County, and the center of the Greater Orlando metropolitan area. According to the 2010 US Census, the city had a population of 238,300, making Orlando the 79th largest city in the United States...
, Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
.
The trust also owned Hampton Court, Herefordshire
Hampton Court, Herefordshire
Hampton Court is a castellated country house in the English county of Herefordshire. The house is located in the village of Hope under Dinmore, near Leominster.- History :...
, a later medieval country house converted into a Christian study centre. In the decade until it was sold in January 2008, approximately £12 million was invested into the restoration of Hampton Court and its surrounding parkland, including the creation of the nationally significant Van Kampen garden. There was a grand opening for the garden after his death in the summer of 2000, in which he had donated 100,000 for the Indiana Wesleyan Univerity Chorale to come and perform for the Grand Opening.
Personal life
In 1963 he married, and he and his wife had three children. Having initially lived in Wheaton, Illinois, Van Kampen made his home in West Chicago, Illinois, and Michigan. Van Kampen died at age 60, in October 1999, awaiting a heart transplant.External links
- Sola Scriptura
- List of papers of Robert Van Kampen held at Wheaton CollegeWheaton College (Illinois)Wheaton College is a private, evangelical Protestant liberal arts college in Wheaton, Illinois, a suburb west of Chicago in the United States...
- Obituary at the New York Times