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James Knox Polk (/ p oʊ k /; November 2, 1795 – June 15, 1849) was the 11th president of the United States, serving from 1845 to 1849. He also served as the 13th speaker of the House of Representatives from 1835 to 1839 and the ninth governor of Tennessee from 1839 to 1841.
- James Polk’s Early Years
- The Tennessee Politician
- The Dark Horse Candidate
- James Polk as President
- James Polk: Later Years
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James Knox Polk was born on November 2, 1795, in a log cabin in Mecklenburg, North Carolina. As a boy, Polk, the eldest of 10 children, moved with his family to Columbia, Tennessee, where his father became a prosperous land surveyor, planter and businessman. The younger Polk was often sick as a child, and as a teen he survived a major operation for...
In 1825, Tennessee voters elected James Polk to the U.S. House of Representatives, where he would serve seven terms and act as speaker of the House from 1835 to 1839. In Congress, Polk was a protégé of America’s seventh president, Andrew Jackson(1767-1845), a fellow Democrat and Tennessean who was in the White House from 1829 to 1837. Polk favored ...
In 1844, James Polk unexpectedly became the Democrats’ nominee for president. He emerged as a compromise candidate after the more likely choice, former president Martin Van Buren(1782-1862), who had lost his reelection bid in 1840, failed to secure the party’s nomination. Polk thus became America’s first dark horse presidential candidate. George Da...
At age 49, James Polk was younger than any previous president when he entered the White House. A workaholic, America’s new chief executive set an ambitious agenda with four major goals: cut tariffs, reestablish an independent U.S. Treasury, secure the Oregon Territory and acquire the territories of California and New Mexico from Mexico. Polk eventu...
James Polk kept his campaign promise to serve just one term and did not seek reelection in 1848. He was succeeded by Zachary Taylor(1784-1850), a military leader who earned acclaim during the Mexican-American War and ran for the presidency on the Whig ticket. Polk left the White House in March 1849 and returned to his home, Polk Place, in Nashville...
Learn about James Polk, the 11th U.S. president who expanded the nation's territory by one-third and led the Mexican-American War. Find out about his early life, political career, achievements and death.
May 10, 2024 · James K. Polk (born November 2, 1795, Mecklenburg county, North Carolina, U.S.—died June 15, 1849, Nashville, Tennessee) was the 11th president of the United States (1845–49). Under his leadership, the United States fought the Mexican War (1846–48) and acquired vast territories along the Pacific coast and in the Southwest.
Learn about the life and achievements of James K. Polk, the 11th President of the United States and the last strong President until the Civil War. He expanded the nation's territory by acquiring Texas, Oregon, and California, but also faced the slavery issue and died in office.
The presidency of James K. Polk began on March 4, 1845, when James K. Polk was inaugurated as President of the United States, and ended on March 4, 1849. He was a Democrat, and assumed office after defeating Whig Henry Clay in the 1844 presidential election.
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Apr 2, 2014 · Learn about James Polk, the 11th president of the United States who expanded the nation through the Mexican-American War. Find out his early life, political career, achievements, and death in this comprehensive biography.
James K. Polk, (born Nov. 2, 1795, Mecklenburg county, N.C., U.S.—died June 15, 1849, Nashville, Tenn.), 11th president of the U.S. (1845–49). He was a friend and supporter of Andrew Jackson, who helped Polk win election to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1825. He left the House in 1839 to become governor of Tennessee.
