[1] Van Antwerp served as a captain in 16th Regiment of Engineers (Railway) from Detroit in the United States Army Corps of Engineers during World War I, and was among the first members of the Allied Expeditionary Force to land in France,[2] serving in 1917-1919.

[1] The couple had eleven children: Dolores, Pauline, Loretta, Eugene, Joseph, Gore, Joan, Agnes, George, Dacia, and Daniel.

[3] During his time on the council, he ran unsuccessfully for county auditor in 1935[2] and served a stint as the commander of the Veterans of Foreign Wars in 1938–39.

[4] Van Antwerp served a single term as mayor, beating Edward Jeffries in 1947 but losing in the primary in 1949.

[5] He returned to the City Council in 1950, winning a special election in November of that year to replace Edward Jeffries after the latter's death.