Robert Van Kampen

==Business career==
Van Kampen was born on December 16, 1938, in [[Evergreen Park, Illinois]]. Van Kampen was educated at [[Wheaton Academy]] in [[West Chicago]] and [[Wheaton College (Illinois)|Wheaton College]] in Wheaton, Illinois, graduating in 1960. After graduation he worked at [[Nuveen]] as a bond salesman where he was known as "The Charger" due to his ambition and drive. <ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1">{{Cite web |date=2001-08-16 |title=FINANCIER COLLECTED WEALTH OF HOLY TEXTS |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/os-xpm-2001-08-17-0108160514-story.html |access-date=2023-12-10 |website=Chicago Tribune}}</ref>

In 1967, Van Kampen left Nuveen over a compensation dispute and co-founded an [[investment banking]] firm, Van Kampen, Wauterlek & Brown which was later renamed to Clayton Brown & Associates.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":2">{{Cite web |date=2023-11-28 |title=Clayton Brown, who ran municipal bond firm, dies at 95 |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/obituaries/ct-clayton-brown-obituary-20231128-53i2ukwhavfehgptvtlrxpvpae-story.html |access-date=2023-12-10 |website=Chicago Tribune}}</ref> In 1974, he left the firm to found another firm, [[Van Kampen Merritt]] that was later acquired by [[Xerox]] in 1984.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web |date=1991-10-02 |title=Nike Securities completes the purchase of Clayton Brown's unit trust division. |url=https://www.americanbanker.com/news/nike-securities-completes-the-purchase-of-clayton-browns-unit-trust-division |access-date=2023-12-10 |website=American Banker |language=en}}</ref>

From 1980 to 1992, Van Kampen was also a partner in VMS Realty.<ref name=":0" />

In September 1991, Van Kampen founded another firm named Nike Securities in [[Chicago]]. It would be later renamed to [[First Trust (company)|First Trust]].<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":3" />