James Knox Polk (1795 - 1849)

Born 2 Nov 1795 in Pineville, Mecklenburg, North Carolina, United States

Ancestors

Husband of Sarah (Childress) Polk — married 1 Jan 1824 in Murfreesboro, Rutherford, Tennessee, United States

Died 15 Jun 1849 at age 53 in Nashville, Davidson, Tennessee, United States

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James Polk was the President of the United States. Join: US Presidents Project Discuss: presidents

Preceded by 10th President John Tyler Preceded by 12th Speaker John Bell Preceded by 8th Governor Newton Cannon

James K. Polk 11th President of the United States 1845—1849 13th Speaker of the US House of Representatives 1835—1839 9th Governor of Tennessee 1839—1841

Succeeded by 12th President Zachary Taylor Succeeded by 14th Speaker Robert M. T. Hunter Succeeded by 10th Governor James C. Jones

Biography

James Polk is Notable.

James Knox Polk (02 November 1795 – 15 June 1849) was the 11th President of the United States (1845–1849). Polk was born in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina. He later lived in and represented Tennessee. Polk, a Democrat, served as the 17th Speaker of the House of Representatives (1835–1839) and Governor of Tennessee (1839–1841). Polk was the surprise (dark horse) candidate for president in 1844, defeating Henry Clay of the rival Whig Party by promising to annex Texas. Polk was a leader of Jacksonian Democracy during the Second Party System.^[1]

James Knox Polk was the eldest child of ten to be born to Samuel Polk and Jane (Knox) Polk on 02 November 1793. He was born on a 250-acre farm in Pineville, North Carolina moving to Tennessee at age 11. He had 4 sisters and 5 brothers. ^[2]

Sisters:

1. Jane Maria (Polk) Walker, (14 January 1798 - 11 October 1876)
2. Lydia Eliza (Polk) Caldwell Richmond, (1800 - 1864)
3. Naomi Tate (Polk) Harris, (02 July 1809 - 06 August 1836)
4. Ophelia Clarissa (Polk) Hayes, (06 September 1812 - 18 April 1856)

Brothers:

1. Franklin Ezekiel Polk, (1802 - 21 January 1831)
2. Marshall Tate Polk, (15 January 1805 - 05 April 1831)
3. John Lee Polk, (23 May 1807 - 28 September 1831)
4. William Hawkins Polk, (24 May 1815 - 16 December 1862)
5. Samuel Washington Polk, (17 October 1817 - 24 February 1839)

Upon graduation, he studied law in Nashville and then established a law practice in Columbia, Tennessee.

Polk courted Sarah Childress, and they married on 01 January 1824 in Murfreesboro. Polk was then 28, and Sarah was 20 years old. They had no children.

His major achievements were: the establishment of the northern border of the United States at the 49th Parallel; and the acquisition of California, Nevada, Utah, most of Arizona, and parts of New Mexico, Colorado and Wyoming which established the coast-to-coast expansion of the United States.

He retired at the end of his term in March 1849 and died of cholera just three months later on 15 June 1849. He died at his home, Polk Place, Nashville, Davidson County, Tennessee.

Freemasons: "James K. Polk - 02 November 1795 – 15 June 1849, 04 March 1845 – 04 March 1849. Initiated on 05 June 1820 in Columbia Lodge No. 31, Columbia, Tennessee."

Initially entombed at his home, his remains were moved to the Tennessee state capitol in 1893.

James K. Polk was the youngest president to be elected (as of 1844) and he still remains the youngest president to die excluding those who have been assassinated. He is considered to be the best one-term president.

Timeline

• 02 November 1795: James Knox Polk born.
• 1813: Begins his formal education at the age of 18.
• 1816 - 1818: Entered the University of North Carolina and graduated with honors.
• 1823 - 1825: A member of the Tennessee House of Representatives.
• 01 January 1824: Married Sarah Childress. ^[3]
• 1825 - 1839: A member of the U.S. House of Representatives including serving as its speaker from 1835 - 1839.
• 1830: Census record shows him and Sarah living in Maury County, Tennessee. No children, 6 slaves.^[4]
• 1839 - 1841: Governor of Tennessee.
• 1840: Census records show his residence as Nashville, Davidson County, Tennessee, with wife Sarah. No children, 5 slaves.^[5]
• 04 March 1845 - 04 March 1849: President of the United States.
• 1846 - 1848: Much of Polk's time in office was taken up with the Mexican War which began in 1846 over the disputed border between the two countries. In February 1848, The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo was signed ending the war. By this treaty, the border was fixed at the Rio Grande and the United States had gained California and Nevada amongst other present day territories.
• 15 June 1849: James Knox Polk died of cholera at home at the age of 53.
• 1893: His remains moved from his tomb at his home, Polk Place, to the Tennessee state capitol.

James K. Polk's Inauguration

Elected with a public mandate for the admission of Texas into the Federal Union, James K. Polk underscored this mandate in his inaugural speech and became the eleventh president of the United States on 04 March 1845. With Polk's encouragement and support, Congress approved a joint-resolution to offer Texas statehood on 28 February 1845. The following July, the Texas legislature accepted. On 29 December 1845, Polk signed the Texas Admissions Act, making Texas the twenty-eighth state to enter the Union. After a stormy term in office, including a successful war against Mexico to acquire Texas, Polk declined to run for re-election.^[6]

Religion

• Presbyterian - but a week before he died, he was baptized a Methodist.
• James Polk and his siblings were raised in the strict Presbyterian traditions of their Scotch-Irish family.

Death

Burial:

Tennessee State Capitol Building and Grounds

Place: Nashville, Davidson County, Tennessee ^[7]

Cenotaph

Legacy

• Eleven U.S. states have named counties in President Polk's honor. They are: Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Michigan, Missouri, Nebraska, Oregon, Tennessee, Texas, and Wisconsin.

Sources

1. ↑ Wikipedia: James K. Polk
2. ↑ Answers on the web: Who Were James Polk's Siblings?
3. ↑ "Tennessee State Marriage Index, 1780-2002," , FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VNX6-DMH : 4 December 2014), James K Polk and Susan Childress, 01 Jan 1824; from "Tennessee State Marriages, 1780-2002," database and images, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com : 2008); citing p. 126, Rutherford, Tennessee, United States, Tennessee State Library and Archives, Nashville, Tennessee.
4. ↑ "United States Census, 1830", database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XHG2-K6J : Thu Oct 05 08:53:40 UTC 2023), Entry for James K Polk, 1830.
5. ↑ "United States Census, 1840", database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XHTK-35T : Wed Oct 04 20:46:33 UTC 2023), Entry for James K Polk, 1840.
6. ↑ http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/treasures/inaugural-exhibit.html
7. ↑ Find a Grave Memorial # 823, James Polk

• Maxwell, William, ed. The Virginia Historical Register (Macfarlane & Fergusson, Richmond, Virginia, 1849) Vol. 2, Page 173: "The Death of Mr. Polk"
• Portrait & Bio. Album of Mahaska Co. IA (1887)
• JamesKPolk.com
• Sarah Childress Polk: A Biography of the Remarkable First Lady, by John R. Bumgarner.

Photo: http://www.loc.gov/pictures/collection/dag/item/2004664042/