• Influence
• Longevity

Mark Kirk

Junior U.S. Senator from Illinois

Over the past week, Senator Mark Kirk, Junior Senator from Illinois and our Member of the Week, checked himself into Lake Forest Hospital, where doctors discovered a carotid artery dissection in the right side of his neck.  He was transferred to Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago, where further tests revealed that he had suffered an ischemic stroke.  As a result of the stroke, caused by a blood cot obstructing a blood vessel to the brain, Senator Kirk will likely lose some motor function on the left side of his body – moreover a four-inch by eight-inch part of Kirk’s skull was removed to relieve pressure.

This past weekend has been sobering for Congress – in addition to the news surrounding Senator Kirk, Representative Gabrielle Giffords announced on Sunday that she would resign from Congress this week to focus on her recovery.

Mark Kirk was born in Champaign, Illinois on September 15, 1959.  After graduating from New Tier East High School in 1977, he attended Cornell University, where he graduated cum laude with a B.A. in History.  Kirk would go on to obtain a masters degree from the London School of Economics (LSE) and a Juris Doctorate from Georgetown University Law Center.  In addition to being a prolific student, Kirk demonstrated his know-how as a teacher.  While at Cornell he held a work-study job supervising a playgroup at the Forest Home Chapel nursery school.  After receiving his masters from LSE, Kirk taught for one year at a private school in London.

In 1989, Mark Kirk was commissioned as an intelligence officer in the United States Navy Reserve.  In between 1989 and his last two-week reserve deployment in Afghanistan in September 2011, Senator Kirk had a somewhat distinguished service record.  In 1999, he was recalled to active duty in Operation Allied Force for the bombing of Yugoslavia.  In March and April, 2000 Kirk trained with an EC-130 squadron based in Turkey – during this period he took flight over Iraq as part of Operation Northern Watch.

During his military career, Kirk has been awarded the following:

• The Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal
• Navy Achievement Medal
• National Defense Service Medal
• Global War on Terrorism Service Medal
• Joint Meritorious Unit Award
• Navy Unit Commendation
• Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation

Senator Kirk continues to serve in the Navy Reserve, holding the rank of Commander.

Kirk’s political career started around the same time as his military career.  Before serving as the Special Assistant to the Assistant Secretary of State in the Department of State from 1991 to 1993, Kirk worked on the staff of John Porter, the former representative of Illinois’s 10^th congressional district.  Following his role in the Department of State, Kirk became an attorney for Baker & McKenzie in 1993, staying there until 1995.  He was then named as a counsel to the House International Relations Committee, where he remained until 1999.

Before entering Senate, Mark Kirk had a smooth tenure in the U.S. House of Representatives.  Originally elected to represent Illinois’s 10^th district in 2000 with 51%, he would go on to win re-election with comfortable margins with 2002 and 2004.  In 2006 and 2008, Kirk defeated Democrat Dan Seals by a five-point margin.

While in the House, Kirk was a member of the House Iran Working Group, the founder and co-chair of the House U.S. – China Working Group, the co-chair of the Congressional Caucus on Armenian Issues, the co-chair of the Albanian Issues Caucus in ex-Yugoslavia, and a member of the GOP Tuesday Group.  He was also a member of the House Appropriations Committee.

On July 20, 2009, Kirk announced his candidacy for the U.S. Senate election for the seat held by Roland Burris.  He easily won the Republican primary with 56.6 percent of the vote – no other candidate had as much as 20 percent.  The general election was not as easy.  Facing Democrat Alexi Giannoulias, Kirk squeaked out a two-percentage point victory, with 48 percent of the vote.

His short tenure in the Senate has been highlighted by his vote in favor of the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell Repeal Act of 2010.  His voting record is not strictly Republican, demonstrating in his short time as Senator the gall to vote against the party line.  Kirk currently sits at the Senate’s coveted candy desk.  For those of you who don’t know what this is, the Senate candy desk is a tradition of the United States Senate established in 1968.  Senator George Murphy first stocked the desk, located on the Republican side of the Senate chamber, with candy and treats.  The tenant of the candy desk is charged with stocking it with candy from his or her home state.

We here at Cloture Club hope Senator Mark Kirk makes a full and timely recovery.

–Amendment202

Did you enjoy our profile on Senator Mark Kirk, check out our other Members of the Week!