Marks, a
Democrat, served as a member of the
Virginia House of Delegates from 1962 to 1991 where he represented the people of the City of Hopewell, and the counties of
Prince George,
Charles City, and at times,
Surry. As a member of the General Assembly, Mr. Marks initiated the legislation which provided state recognition for eight Virginia
Indian tribes and created the
Virginia Indian Commission. He served as the commission's first chairman. He was honored by the Standing Bear Award presented to him for his work on behalf of the Virginia Indian community. He was the founding chairman of the
Virginia Alcohol Safety Action Program (VASAP) and he received its Distinguished Service Award in 2000. When he retired from the House of Delegates; he was second in seniority and he chaired the Courts of Justice Committee. He was also a member and past chairman of the Corporations, Insurance and Banking Committee and he served on the Privileges and Elections and the Rules Committees. ==Background==