John Patrick Kirk was a Michigan

Michigan

Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....

 politician in the early 1900s.

He was born on September 20, 1867, the son of Bernard Kirk (d. 1899) and Ann (Murphy) Kirk, immigrants from Ireland. He married Mary Shaff on June 20, 1898. Kirk graduated from the University of Michigan Law School

University of Michigan Law School

The University of Michigan Law School is the law school of the University of Michigan, in Ann Arbor. Founded in 1859, the school has an enrollment of about 1,200 students, most of whom are seeking Juris Doctor or Master of Laws degrees, although the school also offers a Doctor of Juridical...

 in 1888 and became a lawyer, was Washtenaw County

Washtenaw County, Michigan

Washtenaw County is a county in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2010 census, the population was 344,791. Its county seat is Ann Arbor. The United States Office of Management and Budget defines the county as part of the Detroit–Warren–Flint Combined Statistical Area...

 prosecuting attorney from 1897 to 1900. He was commissioned as a major

Major (United States)

In the United States Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps, major is a field grade military officer rank just above the rank of captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel...

 in the Army

United States Army

The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...

 during the Spanish-American War

Spanish-American War

The Spanish–American War was a conflict in 1898 between Spain and the United States, effectively the result of American intervention in the ongoing Cuban War of Independence...

; his name is inscribed on Ypsilanti's Spanish-American War Memorial, as the highest-ranking officer. Kirk subsequently became a general

General (United States)

In the United States Army, United States Air Force, and United States Marine Corps, general is a four-star general officer rank, with the pay grade of O-10. General ranks above lieutenant general and below General of the Army or General of the Air Force; the Marine Corps does not have an...

.
He was a member of Michigan House of Representatives from Washtenaw County's 2nd district from 1903 to 1904, when he became an unsuccessful candidate for the United States House of Representatives

United States House of Representatives

The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...

 for Michigan's 2nd congressional district

Michigan's 2nd congressional district

Michigan's 2nd congressional district is a United States Congressional district in Western Michigan. It consists of the counties of Benzie, Manistee, Wexford, Mason, Lake, Oceana, Newaygo, Muskegon, Ottawa, and the northern portion of Allegan and the northwest portion of Kent. The 2nd district has...

 in the 1904 general elections. He was elected mayor of Ypsilanti in 1908, defeating George D. Lockwood, and served from 1908-1910. He was nominated as the Democratic

Democratic Party (United States)

The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...

 candidate for Lieutenant Governor of Michigan

Lieutenant Governor of Michigan

The Lieutenant Governor of Michigan is the second-ranking official in U.S. state of Michigan, behind the governor, and one of four great offices of state...

 in 1916, but lost. He was an unsuccessful candidate for circuit judge in Michigan 22nd Circuit in 1917. He was a delegate from Michigan to the 1936 Democratic National Convention

1936 Democratic National Convention

The 1936 Democratic National Convention was held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania from June 23 to 27, 1936. The convention resulted in the re-nomination of U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt and Vice President John Nance Garner....

, at which Franklin Delano Roosevelt was renominated for President. In his later career, Kirk was a bank president in Ypsilanti, where he died in 1952. He is buried in St. John Cemetery in Ypsilanti.

John Kirk and his wife had 4 children. His only son, Bernard Kirk

Bernard Kirk

Bernard "Bernie" C. Kirk was an American football player who played for Notre Dame in 1919 and for Michigan from 1921-1922. He was selected as an All-American at the end position in both 1921 and 1922...

, was an All-American football player who played for both Notre Dame University and the University of Michigan.