Frank Polk
| Frank Polk | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 1st United States Under Secretary of State | |
|
In office July 1, 1919 – June 15, 1920 | |
| Preceded by | Office created |
| Succeeded by | Norman H. Davis |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Frank Lyon Polk September 13, 1871 New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Died |
February 7, 1943 (aged 71) New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Nationality | American |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) | Elizabeth Sturgis Potter |
| Children | 5 |
| Alma mater |
Yale College (1894) Columbia Law School (1897) |
| Religion | Episcopal |
Frank Lyon Polk (September 13, 1871 – February 7, 1943) was a prominent United States lawyer and a name partner of the law firm today known as Davis Polk & Wardwell, and for some years held prominent diplomatic positions.[1]
Early life and education
Polk was born on September 13, 1871, in New York City,[1] son of William Mecklenburg Polk (1844–1918), dean of the Cornell Medical School, and grandson of bishop and Confederate general Leonidas Polk (1806–1864),[2] who was a cousin of President James K. Polk.[3]
He graduated from Yale College[4] (B.A., 1894) and Columbia University Law School[4] (LL.B., 1897). He was a member of the Scroll and Key Society.
Career
In 1897, Polk began his law practice in New York City. He served on a variety of City boards and commissions. He was member of the civil service commission of New York from 1907 to 1909, and in 1907 and 1910 was a member of the New York City Board of Education. On January 24, 1914, Mayor Mitchel appointed him corporation counsel, in which office he remained until his appointment on September 16, 1915, as counselor for the United States Department of State at Washington, D.C.,[5] confirmed by the Senate on December 17, 1915.[6]
He served in the Department of State as Counselor until 1919, and then as Acting Secretary of State (1920) and Under Secretary of State (1919–1920). Polk headed the American Commission to Negotiate Peace (1919), and after President Wilson's and Secretary Lansing's departure from Paris in 1919, he represented the United States at the peace conference.[7] He managed the 1924 Democratic presidential convention campaign of John W. Davis, another name partner of his law firm.
Personal life
Polk was married to Elizabeth Sturgis Potter[8] (1886-1950).[9] Elizabeth was the daughter of James Potter (d. 1934), the Cunard Line representative in Philadelphia, and Elizabeth (Sturgis) Potter (d. 1942).[10] The Polks lived at 6 East Sixty-eighth Street in New York City, had a home in Syosset on Long Island and in Boca Grande, Florida.[11] Together they had five children:[8]
- John Metcalfe Polk (1908-1948),[12] who married Virginia Brand, daughter of Robert Brand, 1st Baron Brand and niece of Lady Astor, in 1939.[13]
- Elizabeth Potter Polk (1910-1990),[14] who married Raymond R. Guest (1907–1991), the son of Frederick Guest (1875–1937), in 1935.[11]
- Frank Lyon Polk, Jr. (1911-1952),[15] who married Katherine H. Salvage, the eldest daughter of Samuel Agar Salvage (1876-1946), in 1934.[16]
- James Potter Polk, who married Margaret S. Salvage, another daughter of Samuel Agar Salvage, in 1937.[17][18]
- Alice Polk (1917-2009),[19] who married Winthrop Rutherford (d. 1988), in 1940.[20]
His portrait was painted by Sir Oswald Birley in 1923.
Polk served on a variety of New York City boards and commissions (1906-1913) and as Corporation Counsel (1914-1915). He also served in the Department of State as Counselor (1915-1919), Acting Secretary of State (1918-1919), and Under Secretary of State (1919-1920). Polk headed the American Mission to Negotiate Peace (1919) and managed the 1924 Democratic presidential convention campaign of John W. Davis.[1]
Frank Lyon Polk died on February 7, 1943, in New York City.[2]
Descendants
Polk is the grandfather of financier Lewis Polk Rutherfurd (b. 1944) who was married to Janet Jennings Auchincloss, the half-sister of former First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, from 1966 until her death in 1985.[20]
References
- 1 2 3 "Frank Lyon Polk papers". Retrieved 2015-04-17.
Frank Lyon Polk was born in New York City on September 13, 1871. He graduated from Yale College (B.A., 1894) and Columbia University Law School (LL.D., 1897).
- 1 2 "Frank Lyon Polk". New York Times. February 7, 1943. Retrieved 2015-04-17.
His father, dean of the Cornell Medical School, had been a pupil of Stonewall Jackson's at the Virginia Military Institute and at 17 Jackson's drillmaster. His grandfather, Bishop and Lieutenant General, another Bishop called 'a man whom noble men might love and meaner men might fear.'
- ↑ Sesser, David. "Leonidas Polk (1806–1864)". www.encyclopediaofarkansas.net. Encyclopedia of Arkansas. Retrieved 6 August 2016.
- 1 2 Frank Lyon Polk "Frank Lyon Polk was a partner of the law firm of Davis, Polk, Lansing, Wardwell & Reed of New York City."
- ↑
Rines, George Edwin, ed. (1920). "Polk, Frank Lyon". Encyclopedia Americana. - ↑ "Senate Confirms Polk's Nomination.". The New York Times. December 18, 1915. Retrieved 6 August 2016.
- ↑ Reynolds, Francis J., ed. (1921). "Polk, Frank Lyon". Collier's New Encyclopedia. New York: P.F. Collier & Son Company.
- 1 2 "MRS. FRANK L. POLK". The New York Times. October 27, 1960. Retrieved 5 August 2016.
- ↑ "Elizabeth Sturgis Potter Polk". www.findagrave.com. Find A Grave Memorial. Retrieved 6 August 2016.
- ↑ "Mrs. James Potter". The New York Times. May 15, 1942. Retrieved 6 August 2016.
- 1 2 "ELIZABETH POLK ENGAGED TO WED: Descendant of President Polk Will Become the Bride of Raymond Guest". The New York Times. March 5, 1935. Retrieved 5 August 2016.
- ↑ "John Metcalfe Polk (1908 - 1948)". www.findagrave.com. Find A Grave Memorial. Retrieved 6 August 2016.
- ↑ "Virginia Brand, Niece of Lady Astor, Married To John M. Polk, Kin of the 11th President". The New York Times. December 8, 1939. Retrieved 6 August 2016.
- ↑ "Elizabeth P. Guest, 79, A Patron of the Arts". The New York Times. 25 March 1990. Retrieved 6 August 2016.
- ↑ "Frank Lyon Polk (1911 - 1952)". www.findagrave.com. Find A Grave Memorial. Retrieved 6 August 2016.
- ↑ "MISS SALVAGE WED TO FRANK POLK JR.: St. John's of Lattingtown Scene of Brilliant Rites — Bishop Du Moulin Officiates". The New York Times. June 27, 1934. Retrieved 6 August 2016.
- ↑ "Miss Margaret Salvage, Debutante of 1933, To Be Wed to James Potter Polk in April". The New York Times. February 3, 1937. Retrieved 6 August 2016.
- ↑ "James Polks Have Daughter". The New York Times. September 30, 1938. Retrieved 6 August 2016.
- ↑ "RUTHERFURD, ALICE POLK". The New York Times. March 29, 2009. Retrieved 6 August 2016.
- 1 2 Staff (May 9, 1966). "Janet Jennings Auchincloss Betrothed". The New York Times. Retrieved 17 March 2016.
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Frank Polk. |
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Robert Lansing |
Secretary of State (Acting) February 14 - March 12, 1920 |
Succeeded by Bainbridge Colby |
| First | Under Secretary of State July 1, 1919 – June 15, 1920 |
Succeeded by Norman H. Davis |
| Non-profit organization positions | ||
| Preceded by Henry M. Waite |
President of the National Municipal League 1923 – 1927 |
Succeeded by Richard S. Childs |
