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James Knox Polk - 11th President of the United States March 4, 1845 to March 3, 1849
 Born: November 2, 1795, Mecklenburg County, North Carolina
Died: June 15, 1849, Nashville, Tennessee (Chronic Diarrhea - 53)
Interred: State Capitol Grounds, Nashville, Tennessee
49 years old, Presbyterian, Lawyer, Democrat
Parents: Samuel & Jane (Knox) Polk
Married: January 1, 1824, to Sarah Childress
Children: None
Also served:
Tennessee Legislature
Governor of Tennessee
U.S. Congress (Speaker of the House)
Vice President: George M. Dallas of Pennsylvania
Fact:
Was the first man to become President while in his 40's
Nickname: "Young Hickory"
Religion: Presbyterian
Education: Graduated from the University of North Carolina (1818)
Occupation: Lawyer
Political Party: Democratic
Other Government Positions: - Member of Tennessee House of Representatives, 1823-25
- Member of U.S. House of Representatives, 1825-39
Presidential Salary: $25,000/year
Notable Events: 1846
- A large crack in the Liberty Bell too large to permit the bell to be rung any more.
- Dispute with Britain over the Oregon Territory settled. Both nations get a part of the territory.
1848 - Treay of 1848 with Mexico gave the U.S. control over California, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada, Utah and parts of Colorado and Wyoming.
- Gold discovered in California in December.
JAMES KNOX POLK
Biography
Often referred to as the first "dark horse" President, James K. Polk was the last of the Jacksonians to sit in the White House, and the last strong President until the Civil War.
He was born in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, in 1795. Studious and industrious, Polk was graduated with honors in 1818 from the University of North Carolina. As a young lawyer he entered politics, served in the Tennessee legislature, and became a friend of Andrew Jackson.
In the House of Representatives, Polk was a chief lieutenant of Jackson in his Bank war. He served as Speaker between 1835 and 1839, leaving to become Governor of Tennessee.
Until circumstances raised Polk's ambitions, he was a leading contender for the Democratic nomination for Vice President in 1844. Both Martin Van Buren, who had been expected to win the Democratic nomination for President, and Henry Clay, who was to be the Whig nominee, tried to take the expansionist issue out of the campaign by declaring themselves opposed to the annexation of Texas. Polk, however, publicly asserted that Texas should be "re-annexed" and all of Oregon "re-occupied."
The aged Jackson, correctly sensing that the people favored expansion, urged the choice of a candidate committed to the Nation's "Manifest Destiny." This view prevailed at the Democratic Convention, where Polk was nominated on the ninth ballot.
"Who is James K. Polk?" Whigs jeered. Democrats replied Polk was the candidate who stood for expansion. He linked the Texas issue, popular in the South, with the Oregon question, attractive to the North. Polk also favored acquiring California.
Even before he could take office, Congress passed a joint resolution offering annexation to Texas. In so doing they bequeathed Polk the possibility of war with Mexico, which soon severed diplomatic relations.
In his stand on Oregon, the President seemed to be risking war with Great Britain also. The 1844 Democratic platform claimed the entire Oregon area, from the California boundary northward to a latitude of 54'40', the southern boundary of Russian Alaska. Extremists proclaimed "Fifty-four forty or fight," but Polk, aware of diplomatic realities, knew that no course short of war was likely to get all of Oregon. Happily, neither he nor the British wanted a war.
He offered to settle by extending the Canadian boundary, along the 49th parallel, from the Rockies to the Pacific. When the British minister declined, Polk reasserted the American claim to the entire area. Finally, the British settled for the 49th parallel, except for the southern tip of Vancouver Island. The treaty was signed in 1846.
Acquisition of California proved far more difficult. Polk sent an envoy to offer Mexico up to $20,000,000, plus settlement of damage claims owed to Americans, in return for California and the New Mexico country. Since no Mexican leader could cede half his country and still stay in power, Polk's envoy was not received. To bring pressure, Polk sent Gen. Zachary Taylor to the disputed area on the Rio Grande.
To Mexican troops this was aggression, and they attacked Taylor's forces.
Congress declared war and, despite much Northern opposition, supported the military operations. American forces won repeated victories and occupied Mexico City. Finally, in 1848, Mexico ceded New Mexico and California in return for $15,000,000 and American assumption of the damage claims.
President Polk added a vast area to the United States, but its acquisition precipitated a bitter quarrel between the North and the South over expansion of slavery.
Polk, leaving office with his health undermined from hard work, died in June 1849.
Biographies: James Polk -- from The American Presidency Grolier Online has created this resource from its collection of print articles in Encyclopedia Americana. Contains a full biography, written by Charles Sellers of the University of California, along with suggestions for further reading. James Polk -- from The American President From the PBS series The American President, this biography covers his early life, his presidency, and his legacy. Also includes quotations, links to other websites, and lesson plans. James Knox Polk -- from DiscoverySchool.com Complete biography powered by World Book Online. 200 Candles and a Postage Stamp -- by Jenny Nash Article celebrating the 200th birthday of Polk and the U.S. stamp commemorating that event. Composed from quotes by Dr. Wayne Cutler, head of the Polk Presidential Papers Project at the University of Tennessee -- Knoxville, this article gives a unique perspective into the life of James Polk and his family. James Knox Polk -- from People in THE WEST Based on the documentary THE WEST by Ken Burns and Stephen Ives, this biographical sketch focuses on Polk's role in expanding the U.S. borders westward. James Knox Polk -- from the Hall of Forgotten Presidents A case for considering Polk as one of the "near-great" presidents. Postal Service Honors James K. Polk on 200th Birthday -- from the United States Postal Service Press release on the James K. Polk stamp. Includes a biography with a useful list of accomplishments located at the end of the release. James K. Polk -- from the North Carolina Encyclopedia A very text-rich biography on this North Carolina native.
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