Albert F. Polk - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Albert Fawcett Polk was an American lawyer and politician from Georgetown, in Sussex County, Delaware and later, Wilmington, Delaware. He was a member of the Democratic Party, who served as U.S. Representative from Delaware.

Early life and family

Polk was born in Federica, Delaware. He attended Delaware College, now the University of Delaware, in Newark, Delaware, graduating in 1889. Afterwards he studied the law, was admitted to the Delaware Bar in 1892, and began a practice in Georgetown, Delaware.

Professional career

In 1899 Polk became an attorney for the Delaware State Senate and in 1902 become the chairman of the Sussex County Democratic Committee. He held this position until 1908 and again in 1915/16. At the same time he was a member of the Democratic State Committee. He became a member of the Georgetown Board of Education in 1905 and served there until 1912. From 1914 until 1921 he was a member and secretary of the Board of Law Examiners of the Sussex County.

Polk was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1916, defeating incumbent Republican U.S. Representative Thomas W. Miller. During this term, he served with the Democratic majority in the 65th Congress. Seeking reelection in 1918, he lost to Republican Caleb R. Layton, a physician from Georgetown. Polk served from March 4, 1917 until March 3, 1919, during the administration of U.S. President Woodrow Wilson.

Polk resumed the practice of law, moving his practice in 1921 to Wilmington, Delaware. He was appointed United States Commissioner for the district of Delaware in 1929 and held the position until his retirement in 1951.

Death and legacy

Polk died at Wilmington, Delaware. He is buried in the Union Cemetery, located at South Race Street, Georgetown. Take Route 113 south to Route 9 east into Georgetown. Follow Route 9 through the roundabout in center of town, then go right on South Race Street. Union Cemetery is at dead end.

Almanac

Elections are held the first Tuesday after November 1. U.S. Representatives took office March 4 and have a two-year term.

{|class=wikitable style="width: 94%" style="text-align: center;" align="center"
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!colspan=7 style="background: #ccccff;" |Public Offices
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! Office
! Type
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! Ended office
! notes
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|U.S. Representative

United States House of Representatives

The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...

|Legislature

Legislature

A legislature is a kind of deliberative assembly with the power to pass, amend, and repeal laws. The law created by a legislature is called legislation or statutory law. In addition to enacting laws, legislatures usually have exclusive authority to raise or lower taxes and adopt the budget and...

|Washington

Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....

|March 4, 1917
|March 3, 1919
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{|class=wikitable style="width: 94%" style="text-align: center;" align="center"
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!colspan=7 style="background: #ccccff;" |United States Congressional service
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! Dates
! Congress
! Chamber
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! President
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|1917–1919
|65th

65th United States Congress

The Sixty-fifth United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, DC from March 4, 1917 to March 4, 1919, during the fourth and fifth...

|U.S. House

United States House of Representatives

|Democratic

Democratic Party (United States)

The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...

|Woodrow Wilson

Woodrow Wilson

Thomas Woodrow Wilson was the 28th President of the United States, from 1913 to 1921. A leader of the Progressive Movement, he served as President of Princeton University from 1902 to 1910, and then as the Governor of New Jersey from 1911 to 1913...

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|at-large

Delaware's At-large congressional district

Delaware's At-large congressional district is a congressional district that includes the entire U.S. state of Delaware.It is currently represented by Democrat John C. Carney, Jr., the former Lieutenant Governor of Delaware.-Voting:-History:...

{|class=wikitable style="width: 94%" style="text-align: center;" align="center"
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!colspan=12 style="background: #ccccff;" |Election results
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| Subject
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| Votes
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| Opponent
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| Votes
| %
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|1916
|U.S. Representative

United States House of Representatives

Democratic Party (United States)

| |24,395
| |48%
|
| |Thomas W. Miller

Thomas W. Miller

Thomas Woodnutt Miller was an American businessman, lawyer and politician, from Wilmington, Delaware, and Reno, Nevada. He was a veteran of World War I and a member of the Republican Party, who served as U. S. Representative from Delaware.-Early life and family:Miller was born in Wilmington,...

| |Republican

Republican Party (United States)

The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...

| |24,202
| |47%
|-
|1918
|U.S. Representative

United States House of Representatives

Democratic Party (United States)

| |19,652
| |48%
|
| |Caleb R. Layton

Caleb R. Layton

Dr. Caleb Rodney Layton was an American physician and politician, from Georgetown, in Sussex County, Delaware. He was a member of the Republican Party, who served two terms as U. S. Representative from Delaware....

| |Republican

Republican Party (United States)

| |21,226
| |51%

Images

Biographical Dictionary of the U.S. Congress

External links

Places with more information

Delaware Historical Society
Delaware Historical Society
The Delaware Historical Society began in 1864 as an effort to preserve documents from the Civil War. Since then, it has expanded into a state-wide historical institution with several venues and a major museum in Wilmington and the historic Read House & Gardens in New Castle.The society...

; website; 505 North Market Street, Wilmington, Delaware 19801; (302) 655-7161
University of Delaware
University of Delaware
The university is organized into seven colleges:* College of Agriculture and Natural Resources* College of Arts and Sciences* Alfred Lerner College of Business and Economics* College of Earth, Ocean and Environment* College of Education and Human Development...

; Library website; 181 South College Avenue, Newark, Delaware 19717; (302) 831-2965
Hagley Museum and Library website; Barley Mill Road, Wilmington, Delaware; (302) 658-2400
Newark Free Library; 750 Library Ave., Newark, Delaware; (302) 731-7550

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