Mark Kirk

Mark Kirk
Official portrait, 2010
United States Senator
from Illinois
In office
November 29, 2010 – January 3, 2017
Preceded byRoland Burris
Succeeded byTammy Duckworth
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Illinois's 10th district
In office
January 3, 2001 – November 29, 2010
Preceded byJohn Porter
Succeeded byBob Dold
Personal details
Born
Mark Steven Kirk

(1959-09-15) September 15, 1959 (age 64)
Champaign, Illinois, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
Spouse
Kimberly Vertolli
(m. 2001; div. 2009)
EducationCornell University (BA)
London School of Economics (MSc)
Georgetown University (JD)
WebsiteSenate website (Archived)
Military service
Allegiance United States
Branch/service United States Navy
Years of service1989–2013
Rank Commander
UnitNaval Intelligence
Battles/warsNATO bombing of Yugoslavia
Operation Northern Watch

Mark Steven Kirk (born September 15, 1959) is an American retired politician and attorney who served as a United States senator from Illinois from 2010 to 2017, and as the United States representative for Illinois's 10th congressional district from 2001 to 2010. A member of the Republican Party, Kirk describes himself as socially liberal and fiscally conservative.[1][2]

Born in Champaign, Illinois, Kirk graduated from Cornell University, the London School of Economics, and Georgetown University Law Center. He practiced law throughout the 1980s and 1990s. He joined the United States Navy Reserve as a Direct Commission Officer in the Intelligence career field in 1989 and was recalled to active duty for the 1999 NATO bombing of Yugoslavia. He participated in Operation Northern Watch in Iraq the following year. He attained the rank of Commander and retired from the Navy Reserve in 2013.[3]

Kirk was elected to the House in 2000. During his fifth term in November 2010, he won two concurrent elections: to finish the final months of former Senator Barack Obama's term and to serve the next six-year term. He was sworn in on November 29, 2010, and began a six-year Senate term on January 3, 2011.[4] In January 2012, Kirk suffered a stroke; almost a full year passed before he returned to his senatorial duties.[5] In 2016, Kirk ran for re-election to a second full term, but was defeated by Democrat Tammy Duckworth.[6] Kirk is the last Illinois Republican to have served in the U.S. Senate.

  1. ^ Palmer, Anna; Everett, Burgess (October 27, 2015). "The most endangered Republican in the country". Politico. Retrieved February 3, 2016.
  2. ^ Gray, Steven (December 11, 2010). "Illinois' Mark Kirk: Can a Moderate Republican Thrive in Today's Senate?". Time. Retrieved February 3, 2016.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference USNR was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ "Sen. Mark Kirk has stroke: Surgery Monday at Northwestern Hospital". Chicago Sun-Times. January 23, 2012. Archived from the original on May 13, 2012. Retrieved January 23, 2012.
  5. ^ Camia, Catalina (January 3, 2013). "Sen. Kirk makes dramatic return after stroke". USA Today. Retrieved September 11, 2015.
  6. ^ House, Jennifer Bendery White (November 8, 2016). "Tammy Duckworth Takes Back Obama's Illinois Senate Seat For Democrats". HuffPost.