Dale M. Volker (born August 2, 1940) is a former
New York State Senator
The New York State Senate is the upper house of the New York State Legislature, while the New York State Assembly is its lower house. Established in 1777 by the Constitution of New York, its members are elected to two-year terms with no term l ...
who represented the
59th district, which then covered
Wyoming County, as well as portions of
Erie,
Livingston and
Ontario
Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...
counties. Volker is a
Republican.
Biography
Dale Volker was born on August 2, 1940, the son of Assemblyman
Julius Volker. He graduated from
Canisius College
Canisius University is a private Jesuit university in Buffalo, New York. It was founded in 1870 by Jesuits from Germany and is named after St. Peter Canisius. Canisius offers more than 100 undergraduate majors and minors, and around 34 ma ...
and
University at Buffalo Law School. Then he worked for the
Depew Police Department.
Volker was a member of the
New York State Assembly
The New York State Assembly is the lower house of the New York State Legislature, with the New York State Senate being the upper house. There are 150 seats in the Assembly. Assembly members serve two-year terms without term limits.
The Ass ...
in
1973 and 1974. In November 1974, he ran for re-election, but was defeated by Democrat
Vincent J. Graber, Sr.
On February 4, 1975, Volker was elected to the
New York State Senate
The New York State Senate is the upper house of the New York State Legislature, while the New York State Assembly is its lower house. Established in 1777 by the Constitution of New York, its members are elected to two-year terms with no term l ...
, to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of
Thomas F. McGowan. Volker was re-elected several times and remained in the State Senate until 2010, sitting in the
181st,
182nd,
183rd,
184th,
185th,
186th,
187th,
188th,
189th,
190th,
191st,
192nd,
193rd,
194th,
195th,
196th,
197th and
198th New York State Legislatures.
Volker served on the Codes Committee and was the "Chairman" of the Western New York Delegation, a member of the Senate Subcommittee on Alcoholism, and a member of the Senate Public Protection Subcommittee. Prior to 1987 he was Chairman of the Senate Standing Committee on Energy. His other committee assignments included the Senate Standing Committees on Banks, Cities, Crime Victims, Crime and Corrections, Finance, Judiciary, Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities and Rules. Volker was also a member of the
American Legislative Exchange Council
The American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) is a nonprofit organization of conservatism in the United States, conservative state legislature (United States), state legislators and private sector representatives who draft and share Model act, ...
(ALEC).
An April 26, 2007 article in the ''
Times Union'', noted that Volker was a vocal opponent of
Rockefeller drug law reform in the state. Volker helped put the original Rockefeller laws in place as a way of combating the commutation of drug sentences by downstate, and particularly NYC circuit judges. Gabriel Sayegh, author of the piece and project director of New York City's
Drug Policy Alliance
The Drug Policy Alliance (DPA) is a New York City–based nonprofit organization that seeks to advance policies that "reduce the harms of both drug use and drug prohibition, and to promote the sovereignty of individuals over their minds and bodi ...
office, explained that Volker's district benefited heavily from the state's
prison industrial complex
A prison, also known as a jail, gaol, penitentiary, detention center, correction center, correctional facility, or remand center, is a facility where people are imprisoned under the authority of the state, usually as punishment for various crim ...
.
On April 30, 2010, Volker announced that he would not run for re-election.
Volker Won’t Seek Re-Election
East Aurora Advertiser, May 6, 2010
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Volker, Dale
1940 births
Living people
Republican Party New York (state) state senators
Canisius University alumni
University at Buffalo Law School alumni
Republican Party members of the New York State Assembly
21st-century members of the New York State Legislature
20th-century members of the New York State Legislature