Austin Volk

Austin Nicholas Volk (December 28, 1918 – September 18, 2010) was an American businessman and politician from New Jersey. A member of the Republican Party, He graduated from Dwight Morrow High School in Englewood in 1937. During World War II, Volk participated at the Battle of Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands as the commanding officer of a landing craft.

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.

Volk, who was 17 months into his second term at the time of the unrest, He vowed to demolish slum properties in the 4th Ward and increase career prospects for residents. 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.