Quick Facts
Biography
Rufus King Polk (August 23, 1866 – March 5, 1902) was a Democratic member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania.
Rufus K. Polk was born in Columbia, Tennessee, the son of Confederate States Army Brigadier General Lucius E. Polk and great-nephew of Leonidas Polk. He attended Webb's Academy in Culleoka, Tennessee, graduated from Lehigh University in South Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, in 1887, and took a post-graduate course in mining engineering. He settled in Danville, Pennsylvania, and was employed as a chemist. He held supervisory positions with several steel companies and ultimately became engaged in the manufacture of structural iron. He served as first lieutenant of Company F, Twelfth Regiment, Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, in the Spanish–American War. He was a delegate to the 1900 Democratic National Convention.
Polk was elected as a Democrat to the Fifty-sixth and Fifty-seventh Congresses and served until his death in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He is buried in Fairview Cemetery in Danville, Pennsylvania.