Ralph Lane Polk (1849 – 1923) was an American compiler of facts and publisher of directories.
Born in Bellefontaine, Ohio, Polk was educated at the Pennington seminary, New Jersey. He became a successful Detroit publisher and president of R.L. Polk & Co.[1] His son, Ralph Lane Polk Jr. (born 1911), was a later president of the company,[2] which still exists in 2010. R. L. Polk city directories are valuable tools for researchers.
In 1921, a conversation between Ralph Lane Polk II and Alfred P. Sloan Jr. (who later became president of General Motors) helps fuel R. L. Polk & Co.'s entry into the automotive industry. During the conversation, Sloan asks Polk to impartially tabulate and publish statistical information on cars and trucks in operation. Polk launched its motor vehicle statistical operations in 1922, when the first car registration reports were published[3]. In 1922, Polk publishes its first Passenger Car Registration Report, covering 58 makes and accounting for 9.2 million passenger automobiles on America's highways.