State representative (Republican), 36th District (Moline, Illinois), from 1972 to 1982, and associate director, Department on Aging, 1982 to 1988.
Born in Hamburg, Iowa, and educated in Percival, Iowa, and at the University of Nebraska and St. Louis University, Polk served from 1948 to 1952 with the Marine Corps in the Aleutian Islands. He was employed as a field director for the American Red Cross and as a district assistant to Congressman Thomas Railsback before his election to the Illinois General Assembly in 1972. He was Minority Whip 1979 to 1980 and Majority Whip 1981 to 1982. In 1981 Polk attempted to win the Republican nomination for comptroller. Polk resigned from his House seat in 1982 to accept a position with the Department on Aging, a post he held until 1988. Polk and his wife Millie had 2 children.
From the description of Papers, 1953-1987 (bulk 1971-1982). (Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library). WorldCat record id: 25926186
