County Executive Sam Page announced Dec. 3 that he has chosen Cort VanOstran to fill the St. Louis County prosecuting attorney seat once Wesley Bell leaves office.
VanOstran will fill the unexpired term of Bell, who was elected to the United States Congress in November. Bell’s last day in his current position will be Jan. 2 as he will be sworn into Congress on Jan. 3.
“I met with Cort VanOstran today, and he told me that he is a fan of this office, likes what we are doing and believes his first step as a leader will be to emphasize listening and also learning from our talented and experienced staff,” Bell stated in a press release Dec. 3. “Today I also met with our staff and advised them of that conversation. I advised them if Cort is the next prosecuting attorney, to give him a fair chance and I think it will pay off for them individually, but more importantly for the office as a whole.”
I also told them that they are not going to lose me after I am sworn in as a member of Congress – but they will gain an advocate for this office and, ultimately, an advocate for public safety in the St. Louis region as a whole.”
Since being selected as the next St. Louis County prosecuting attorney, VanOstran, a Democrat, has resigned his position as a federal prosecutor in the Eastern District of Missouri, in which he prosecuted fraud, embezzlement, identity theft, conspiracy, drug distribution and firearms offenses. He has also worked as an adjunct professor at Washington University School of Law since 2016.
“Cort VanOstran is a proven public servant. As a federal prosecutor, he’s worked to protect victims of crime. As an attorney, he’s represented everyday Missourians and stood up to powerful corporate interests,” Page stated in a press release. “As the next St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney, he will work every day to keep our community safe.”
Prior to becoming a prosecutor, VanOstran worked for the St. Louis law firm Gray Ritter Graham, where he worked on a team that represented American farmers in their suit against a foreign-owned biotechnology firm – litigation that resulted in the largest agricultural legal settlement in U.S. history.
He is also a former law clerk to U.S. District Judge John Ross and U.S.District Judge Audrey Fleissig, both appointed by former President Barack Obama.
VanOstran was the Democratic nominee for U.S. Congress in Missouri’s then-Second District – comprised primarily of west and south St. Louis County – in 2018. He was narrowly defeated by Ann Wagner with a vote of 48.99%.
VanOstran is married to David Wasserman, an employment attorney at UBGreensfelder. The couple lives in Richmond Heights. VanOstran will be one of the highest-profile, openly LGBTQ+ chief prosecutors in the country.
VanOstran was born and raised in Missouri. He attended Harvard University on scholarship and later earned his law degree with honors from Washington University in St. Louis.