Austin Nicholas Volk (December 28, 1918 – September 18, 2010) was a New Jersey businessman, naval officer, and Republican public official whose career bridged local government, state politics, and military service during some of the most turbulent decades of the twentieth century.

Born at Englewood Hospital, Volk was raised in Englewood and graduated from Dwight Morrow High School in 1937. He went on to attend Brown University, where he joined the Naval ROTC program and was a member of Delta Kappa Epsilon. His military path soon became central to his life. During World War II, Volk served in the U.S. Navy in the Pacific, taking part in the Guadalcanal campaign as a landing-craft commander. While stationed in the Solomon Islands, he was credited with identifying and naming the Brown Bear River in honor of his alma mater. He later returned to active duty during the Korean War, serving in logistics command roles, and ultimately retired from the Naval Reserve in 1965 with the rank of captain.

Between periods of military service, Volk worked in his family’s insurance firm, Nicholas Volk and Co., based in New York City, eventually becoming the owner of the business. His civilian career was closely tied to public service in Englewood. Volk was elected mayor in 1959 and served two nonconsecutive terms (1960–1963 and 1966–1970), years marked by significant social change. During his first term, Englewood’s public schools were ordered to desegregate, placing the city squarely within the broader civil-rights struggles reshaping suburban New Jersey.

Volk’s second term coincided with heightened racial tensions across the state. In the summer of 1967, shortly after the Newark uprising, unrest broke out in Englewood’s Fourth Ward, a predominantly Black neighborhood where residents had long raised concerns about housing conditions and unequal treatment. Volk combined a heavy law-enforcement response with direct engagement, meeting with ministers and community leaders, pledging urban renewal efforts, and establishing a community relations committee aimed at easing tensions and expanding school integration. His leadership during this period drew mixed reactions: some residents credited him with restoring order, while others—including prominent African American political leaders—argued that his approach relied too heavily on police power and reflected a commitment to maintaining the status quo.

After losing a reelection bid in 1967, Volk shifted his focus to state politics. He was elected to the New Jersey General Assembly in 1970, representing the 37th Legislative District, and served two terms. Following his legislative career, he gradually withdrew from public life, remaining active in business until his retirement.

In his personal life, Volk married Rae P. Glidden in 1979; she was the widow of a former Englewood City Council president. The couple lived between New Jersey and Southampton, New York, where Volk spent many summers. He died in Southampton in 2010 at the age of 91 and was laid to rest in Englewood’s Brookside Cemetery.

Taken together, Volk’s life reflects the trajectory of a mid-century suburban Republican leader—shaped by wartime service, committed to civic order, and tested by the social upheavals of the 1960s—whose legacy remains closely intertwined with Englewood’s local history.

"Volk Sworn As Mayor; Cites Centennial Theme." The Record, 1 Jan. 1960, p.5.

Levin, Jay. "Ex-Englewood Mayor Austin Volk Dies." The Record, 22 Sept. 2010, p.L-1, L-7.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Austin_Volk.