James K. Polk

James Knox Polk (November 2, 1795 – June 15, 1849) was the 11th president of the United States. He only served one term as president. Before he was president, he was Speaker of the House of Representatives (1835–1839) and the governor of Tennessee (1839–1841).

James K. Polk
Portrait c. 1849
11th President of the United States
In office March 4, 1845 – March 4, 1849
Vice President	George Dallas
Preceded by	John Tyler
Succeeded by	Zachary Taylor
9th Governor of Tennessee
In office October 14, 1839 – October 15, 1841
Preceded by	Newton Cannon
Succeeded by	James Jones
17th Speaker of the United States House of Representatives
In office December 7, 1835 – March 4, 1839
President	Andrew Jackson Martin Van Buren
Preceded by	John Bell
Succeeded by	Robert Hunter
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Tennessee's 9th district
In office March 4, 1833 – March 4, 1839
Preceded by	William Fitzgerald
Succeeded by	Harvey Watterson
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Tennessee's 6th district
In office March 4, 1825 – March 4, 1833
Preceded by	John Cocke
Succeeded by	Balie Peyton
Personal details
Born	James Knox Polk (1795-11-02)November 2, 1795 Pineville, North Carolina, U.S.
Died	June 15, 1849(1849-06-15) (aged 53) Nashville, Tennessee, U.S.
Resting place	Tennessee State Capitol Nashville, Tennessee
Political party	Democratic
Spouse(s)	Sarah Childress
Alma mater	University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
Profession	Lawyer Planter
Signature

Early life

James Knox Polk was born on November 2, 1795 in Pineville, North Carolina. His parents were Samuel Polk and Jane Gracey Polk. James’ father was an American surveyor, slave owner, planter, and businessman. It is unknown what his mother did. It is thought she was a housewife. He was very sickly as a child, so he did not do much farm work. He had surgery at 17 years old to remove bladder stones. Anesthesia was not invented yet, so he was awake the entire surgery. He was in a debate club in college. Polk studied law under a leading Nashville lawyer. He then worked as a lawyer and a statesman. He married Sarah Childress on January 1, 1824. They had no children together.

Presidency

James Knox Polk was nominated by the Democratic party and was elected as the 11th President of the United States. He was inaugurated on Tuesday, March 4, 1845 and George M. Dallas was sworn in as the vice president. Chief Justice Roger B. Taney swore in the president. During James’ 4 years in office, he accomplished many things. One event was reestablishment of the Independent Treasury System. Another important act was the reduction of tariffs. Polk also gained Oregon territory to the 49th parallel. The most important accomplishment of James K. Polk was westward expansion. He acquired more than 800,000 square miles of western territory. James K. Polk acquired this throughout the Mexican–American War. He was influenced by Andrew Jackson. James supported Jackson’s plan to dismantle the Bank of United States and replace it with a decentralized government banking system. James accomplished his 4 major goals throughout his presidency. His faults were: he held slaves;and his good intentioned territorial expansion (accidentally) helped pave the road to War Between the States maybe that's why Polk High School (married with children) has his name

Later life

James K Polk became a private citizen at the end of his 4 years in office. He and his wife decided to move to their Nashville home in Nashville, Tennessee because they wanted to retire and live a quiet life. Instead of directly returning to Tennessee, the Polks decided to tour the Southern states. Along the way he gave many speeches to the public. Within two weeks, James’ health suffered from the strains of travel. As the trip continued, the Polks were often forced to stop along the way to allow James to rest. The rest did not help. After arriving at their Nashville home, James Polk again fell ill and complained of horrible stomach pains.  This time James had a serious disease called cholera. At the age of 53, James Knox Polk died on June 15, 1849. On his deathbed James asked his wife to free their slaves when she died. Sarah lived 42 more years and the Civil War freed their slaves long before she died. He was first buried at the Nashville City Cemetery then moved to his Nashville home but was later moved to the Tennessee state capitol after his Nashville home was later sold. He had the shortest retirement of any president, dying only three months after leaving office.

James K. Polk Media

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  Reconstruction of the log cabin in Pineville, North Carolina where Polk was born

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  c. 1846–49 daguerreotype of James K. Polk and Sarah Childress Polk

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  The house where Polk spent his young adult life before his presidency, in Columbia, Tennessee, is his only private residence still standing. It is now known as the James K. Polk Home.

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  Oil on canvas portrait by George Peter Alexander Healy

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  1844 campaign banner for the Polk/Dallas ticket, produced by Nathaniel Currier

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  Results of the 1844 presidential election

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  Daguerrotype of the south front of the White House

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  A gathering on the South Portico of the White House of President Polk, Dolley Madison, and James Buchanan, about 1848.

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  President Polk, BEP engraved portrait

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  The inauguration of James K. Polk, as shown in the Illustrated London News, v. 6, April 19, 1845

Other websites

• Polk's White House biography Archived 2008-04-03 at the Wayback Machine