Austin Volk
American politician
title: "Austin Volk" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["1918-births", "2010-deaths", "20th-century-mayors-of-places-in-new-jersey", "mayors-of-englewood,-new-jersey", "republican-party-members-of-the-new-jersey-general-assembly", "brown-university-alumni", "dwight-morrow-high-school-alumni", "politicians-from-englewood,-new-jersey", "people-from-southampton-(town),-new-york", "united-states-navy-officers", "united-states-navy-personnel-of-world-war-ii", "united-states-navy-personnel-of-the-korean-war", "military-personnel-from-bergen-county,-new-jersey", "20th-century-members-of-the-new-jersey-legislature"] description: "American politician" topic_path: "history" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Austin_Volk" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::summary American politician ::
Austin Nicholas Volk (December 28, 1918 – September 18, 2010) was an American businessman and politician from New Jersey. A member of the Republican Party, Volk served as the Mayor of Englewood, and in the New Jersey State Assembly for two terms during his political career.
Biography
Early life
Volk was born at Englewood Hospital in Englewood, New Jersey on December 28, 1918, to Nicholas and Helen Volk. He graduated from Dwight Morrow High School in Englewood in 1937.
Volk graduated from Brown University, where he became a cadet in the U.S. Naval Reserve Officer Training Program and a Delta Kappa Epsilon member. During World War II, Volk participated at the Battle of Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands as the commanding officer of a landing craft. Volk is credited with discovering the Brown Bear River in the Solomon Islands and naming it after Brown University during the war.
Volk returned to New Jersey following the end of World War II. He began working at Nicholas Volk and Co., his family's insurance office in New York City.
He remained a member of the U.S. Naval Reserve and was recalled to active duty during the Korean War. Volk became a logistical support team commander during the Korean War. He once again returned to his family's insurance business after the Korean War. He would later retire from the United States Navy in 1965, having reached the rank of captain.
Volk owned an insurance business and was mayor of Englewood, New Jersey from 1960 to 1963 and 1966 to 1970. He later served two terms in the New Jersey General Assembly.{{cite web |url=http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/northjersey/obituary.aspx?n=austin-n-volk&pid=145556066|title=Austin N. Volk|date=September 22, 2010|publisher=north jersey|page=1|accessdate=6 October 2010}}
Political career
Volk was elected to two nonconsecutive terms as mayor of Englewood, New Jersey, during the 1960s. The city of Englewood was ordered to desegregate its public school system during his first term. He was elected to a second, nonconsecutive term in 1965, taking office in January 1965.
The 1967 Newark riots, which lasted from July 12–17, 1967, broke out in Newark, New Jersey, which is located south of Englewood.
Volk, who was 17 months into his second term at the time of the unrest, agreed to meet with African American leaders and ministers to discuss their grievances during the Englewood riots.{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=lZgSAAAAIBAJ&sjid=vvcDAAAAIBAJ&pg=3654,1484754&dq=austin-volk&hl=en |title=Race Violence Spreading|date=Jul 22, 1967|work=Spokane Daily Chronicle |accessdate=6 October 2010}} He vowed to demolish slum properties in the 4th Ward and increase career prospects for residents. Volk also condemned the violence in Englewood committed by some rioters.
At one point during the unrest, Volk wore his Navy uniform as he walked down Palisade Avenue in the 4th Ward with Englewood police and fire fighters. However, his actions and use of the police were questioned by some African American leaders. Arnold Brown, who was serving as the first African American state assemblyman from Bergen County at the time, felt that Volk "elevated the situation" through the heavy use of police in remarks about Volk in 2010. Brown explained that, "We had our differences in the '60s... He was just a conservative looking for the status quo."
In the fall of 1967, Volk was defeated in his bid for a third term by his Democratic opponent. Democrats also gained the majority of seats on the Englewood City Council in the election. Volk left office in January 1968.
Volk was elected to the New Jersey State Assembly in 1970 representing the 37th Legislative District. He served two terms in the Assembly. Volk retired from the insurance industry in the late 2000s.
Later life
Volk married the former Rae P. Glidden in 1979. Glidden was the widow of John C. Glidden, who had served as the president of the Englewood City Council. The couple remained together until her death in 2009.
Austin Volk died at his home in Southampton, New York, on September 18, 2010, at the age of 91. He had been a longtime summer resident of Southampton. He was buried at Brookside Cemetery in Englewood.
References
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References
- (2010-09-22). "Summer Southampton resident Austin N. Volk dies at 91". The Southampton Press.
- (6 November 2003). "Naval Order of the U.S.". Turner.
- (Aug 19, 1962). "Phone new weapon". The Palm Beach Post.
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