Elmer Vliet: Lake Bluff Leader, Community Historian

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Elmer Vliet: Lake Bluff Leader, Community Historian
Elmer Vliet shows young historian John Bailey the intricacies of a Revolutionary War period weapon, c. 1970.

Elmer Vliet shows young historian John Bailey the intricacies of a Revolutionary War period weapon, c. 1970.

Elmer Vliet riding in the Lake Forest-Lake Bluff Historical Society car during the Lake Bluff Fourth of July Parade.

Elmer Vliet riding in the Lake Forest-Lake Bluff Historical Society car during the Lake Bluff Fourth of July Parade.

Elmer Vliet was a longtime Lake Bluff resident and village historian. Born in Joliet, Illinois in 1897, he began work as a research chemist at Abbott Alkaloidal Company at age 22. When the company moved to North Chicago, Vliet followed and moved to Lake Bluff in 1927. On April 10, 1959 Elmer Vliet was elected Chairman of Abbott Laboratories, after being vice president and scientific administrator of the pharmaceutical company since 1952.Vliet lived at 401 East Prospect for over 47 years, playing a very active role in the community he loved. He served five years as a Village Trustee (1930-1935) and two years as Village President (1935-1937). He was the President of the Lake Bluff Park Board (1937-1939), Member of the Lake Bluff Zoning Board of Appeals (1937-1979), Member of the Lake Bluff District #65 School Board (1946-1949), Member of the Lake Forest High School Board of Education (1949-1952).
His favorite pastime was collecting and preserving local history. He was the first President of the Lake Forest-Lake Bluff Historical Society in 1972. Over the years, he amassed an extensive collection of local photographs and artifacts which he donated to the Vliet Center for Lake Bluff History, now the Lake Bluff History Museum.