James K. Polk

James K. Polk
James_Polk.jpg: Brady, Mathew B., 1823 (ca.)-1896, photographer. derivative work · Public domain · source
Name	James K. Polk
Caption	Portrait by Mathew Brady, 1849
Order	11th
Office	President of the United States
Term start	March 4, 1845
Term end	March 4, 1849
Vicepresident	George M. Dallas
Predecessor	John Tyler
Successor	Zachary Taylor
Office1	13th Governor of Tennessee
Term start1	October 14, 1839
Term end1	October 15, 1841
Predecessor1	Newton Cannon
Successor1	James C. Jones
Office2	17th Speaker of the United States House of Representatives
Term start2	December 7, 1835
Term end2	March 4, 1839
Predecessor2	John Bell
Successor2	Robert M. T. Hunter
Office3	Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Tennessee
Term start3	March 4, 1825
Term end3	March 4, 1839
Predecessor3	Constituency established
Successor3	Harvey Magee Watterson
Constituency3	6th district (1825–1833), 9th district (1833–1839)
Birth date	2 November 1795
Birth place	Pineville, North Carolina
Death date	15 June 1849
Death place	Nashville, Tennessee
Party	Democratic
Spouse	Sarah Childress (m. 1824)
Alma mater	University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Signature alt	Cursive signature in ink

James K. Polk was the 11th President of the United States, serving from 1845 to 1849. A protégé of Andrew Jackson and a member of the Democratic Party, he was the last strong pre-Civil War president and is noted for significantly expanding the nation's territory. His presidency achieved all major domestic and foreign policy goals he set upon inauguration, including the annexation of the Republic of Texas, settlement of the Oregon boundary dispute with Great Britain, and acquisition of the Mexican Cession following the Mexican–American War.

Early life and education

James Knox Polk was born in Pineville, North Carolina in 1795, the eldest of ten children to Samuel and Jane Polk. In 1806, his family moved to the Duck River valley in Maury County, Tennessee. A sickly child, he survived major surgery performed by the noted Kentucky surgeon Ephraim McDowell. He graduated with honors in 1818 from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he studied mathematics and classics and was a member of the Dialectic and Philanthropic Societies. He then studied law under the prominent trial attorney Felix Grundy in Nashville, was admitted to the Tennessee bar in 1820, and established a practice in Columbia, Tennessee.

Early political career

Polk began his political career in 1823 with his election to the Tennessee House of Representatives. His staunch Jacksonian principles earned him the nickname "Young Hickory" and the support of Andrew Jackson. In 1825, he was elected to the United States House of Representatives, where he served for fourteen years, eventually becoming Chairman of the Ways and Means Committee. A fierce opponent of the policies of Henry Clay and the Second Bank of the United States, Polk was elected Speaker of the United States House of Representatives in 1835, a position he held until 1839. Leaving Congress, he served one term as Governor of Tennessee from 1839 to 1841 but was defeated in bids for re-election in 1841 and 1843.

Presidency (1845–1849)

Polk emerged as a dark horse candidate at the 1844 Democratic National Convention and defeated Henry Clay of the Whig Party in the general election. Declaring his intention to serve only one term, he established four clear goals: re-establish the Independent Treasury System, reduce tariffs, settle the Oregon boundary dispute, and acquire California from Mexico. He achieved the first with the Independent Treasury Act of 1846 and the second with the Walker tariff. The Oregon Treaty of 1846 peacefully divided the Oregon Country with Great Britain along the 49th parallel north. Tensions with Mexico over the annexation of Texas led to the Mexican–American War; American victory resulted in the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, by which Mexico ceded vast territories including California and New Mexico. His administration also oversaw the opening of the United States Naval Academy and the issuance of the first United States postage stamps.

Post-presidency and death

True to his pledge, Polk did not seek re-election. He retired to Nashville, where he and his wife Sarah Childress Polk moved into the newly constructed Polk Place. His retirement was brief, as the arduous presidency had ruined his health. He died of cholera just three months after leaving office, on June 15, 1849. He was initially interred at what is now Nashville City Cemetery before being moved to a tomb on the grounds of the Tennessee State Capitol.

Legacy and historical view

Polk is consistently ranked by historians as one of the most effective presidents for achieving his stated agenda. His expansionist policies, often termed Manifest Destiny, added over a million square miles to the United States, extending its territory to the Pacific Ocean. This expansion, however, intensified the national debate over the expansion of slavery, a primary catalyst for the American Civil War. Key figures like Ulysses S. Grant later criticized the Mexican–American War as unjust. Memorials to him include the James K. Polk Memorial in Columbia, Tennessee, his reconstructed birthplace in Pineville, North Carolina, and Polk County, Oregon, named in his honor.

Category:1795 births Category:1849 deaths Category:Presidents of the United States Category:Speakers of the United States House of Representatives Category:Governors of Tennessee