Mark Steven Kirk

A former Senator and a Representative from Illinois; born in Champaign, Champaign County, Ill., September 15, 1959; B.A., Cornell University, Ithaca, N.Y., 1981; M.S., London School of Economics, London, England, 1982; J.D., Georgetown University, Washington, D.C., 1992; United States Naval Reserves, 1989 to present; lawyer, private practice; staff member for United States Representative John Porter of Illinois, 1984-1990; special assistant, United States Department of State, 1992-1993; staff member for United States House of Representatives International Relations Committee, 1995; elected as a Republican to the One Hundred Seventh and to the four succeeding Congresses, and served from January 3, 2001, until his resignation on November 29, 2010; was not a candidate for reelection to the House of Representatives but was elected as a Republican to the United States Senate in the November 2, 2010, special election to the term ending January 3, 2011, a seat previously held by appointed Senator Roland Burris, and at the same time elected in the general election for the six-year term ending January 3, 2017; took the oath of office on November 29, 2010.