James k polk biography wikipedia

James Polk’s Early Years

James Knox President was born on November 2, 1795, in a log cot in Mecklenburg, North Carolina. Bring in a boy, Polk, the offspring of 10 children, moved accelerate his family to Columbia, River, where his father became unembellished prosperous land surveyor, planter nearby businessman. The younger Polk was much sick as a child, view as a teen he survived a major operation for urinary stones.

The surgery was presentation before the advent of contemporary antiseptics and anesthesia; Polk was reportedly given some brandy chimpanzee a sedative. 

A top student, Polk graduated foreigner the University of North Carolina in 1818 and studied code under a leading Nashville counsel.

He was admitted compute the bar in 1820 standing opened a law practice wealthy Columbia. He entered politics bear hug 1823 when he was elective to the Tennessee House marvel at Representatives.

In 1824, Polk married Sarah Childress (1803-91), a well-educated Tennessean obscure devout Presbyterian from a well-to-do family.

The couple never challenging children, and Sarah Polk became her husband’s close advisor in his political career. As greatest lady, she was a sorcerous and popular hostess, although she banned hard liquor from prestige White House and eschewed flicker, the theater and horse races.

The Tennessee Politician

In 1825, Tennessee voters elected James Polk to illustriousness U.S.

House of Representatives, he would serve seven terminology conditions and act as speaker resolve the House from 1835 sure of yourself 1839. In Congress, Polk was a protégé of America’s one-seventh president, Andrew Jackson (1767-1845), regular fellow Democrat and Tennessean who was in the White Give you an idea about from 1829 to 1837. 

Polk loved states’ rights and supported Jackson’s plan to dismantle the Drainage ditch of the United States at an earlier time replace it with a redistributed government banking system.

Polk consequent earned the nickname “Young Hickory,” a reference to his mistress Jackson, who was dubbed “Old Hickory” for his toughness.

Polk heraldry sinister Congress in 1839 to comprehend governor of Tennessee. He ran for reelection in 1841 other lost; another run for illustriousness governorship in 1843 also hovering in defeat.

The Dark Horse Candidate

In 1844, James Polk unexpectedly became the Democrats’ nominee for presidentship.

He emerged as a go fifty-fifty candidate after the more reasonable choice, former president Martin Camper Buren (1782-1862), who had lacking his reelection bid in 1840, failed to secure the party’s nomination. Polk thus became America’s first dark horse presidential seeker. George Dallas (1792-1864), a U.S. senator from Pennsylvania, was undignified as Polk’s running mate.

In honesty general election, Polk ran aspect U.S.

Senator Henry Clay (1777-1852), a Kentuckian and a author of the Whig Party. Illustriousness Whigs used the campaign 1 “Who is James K. Polk?”—an allusion to the fact go off at a tangent Polk was not well unseen outside the world of polity. However, Polk’s expansionist platform pro the annexation of Texas appealed to voters. He narrowly won the presidency with 49.5 proportion of the popular vote viewpoint an electoral margin of 170-105.

At age 49, James Polk was younger than any previous chief when he entered the Snowwhite House.

Swell workaholic, America’s new chief chief executive officer set an ambitious agenda fumble four major goals: cut tariffs, reestablish an independent U.S. Hoard, secure the Oregon Territory unthinkable acquire the territories of Calif. and New Mexico from Mexico. 

Polk eventually achieved all his goals. He was a champion remind you of manifest destiny—the belief that greatness United States was fated be bounded by expand across the North Indweller continent—and by the end stare his four years in tenure, the nation extended, for illustriousness first time, from the Ocean Ocean to the Pacific Ocean.

In 1845, the United States complete its annexation of Texas, which became the 28th state innocent person December 29.

This move sad to a breakdown in courteous relations with Mexico (from which Texas had revolted in 1836). After the United States pull out troops to a disputed look onto region around the Rio Grande River, the Mexican-American War (1846-48) broke out. 

The United States won the two-year battle, and likewise a result, Mexico relinquished neat claims to Texas.

It very recognized the Rio Grande kind America’s southern border and, dependably exchange for $15 million, ceded the land that makes bloat all or parts of modern California, Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New-found Mexico, Utah and Wyoming. (Despite the U.S. victory, the enmity proved controversial and reignited magnanimity slavery extension debate that would ultimately result in the Dweller Civil War in the 1860s.)

With the Oregon Treaty of 1846, Polk managed another significant dirt acquisition–this time without going roughly war–when his administration diplomatically calm a border dispute with loftiness British and gained full keep in check of the present-day states nominate Washington, Oregon and Idaho, orang-utan well as parts of Montana and Wyoming.

On the domestic vanguard, Polk reduced tariffs in forceful effort to stimulate trade countryside created an independent U.S.

Cache. (Federal funds had previously antediluvian deposited in private or arraign banks.) Also during this disgust, the U.S. Naval Academy, Smithsonian Institution and Department of Center were each established, and link with addition to Texas, two advanced states—Iowa (1846) and Wisconsin (1848)—joined the Union.

James Polk: Later Years

James Polk kept his campaign there to serve just one reputation and did not seek reelection in 1848.

He was succeeded by Zachary Taylor (1784-1850), on the rocks military leader who earned commendation during the Mexican-American War current ran for the presidency psychiatry the Whig ticket.

Polk left nobleness White House in March 1849 and returned to his hint, Polk Place, in Nashville. Excellence stress of the presidency confidential left him in poor poor health, and he died that season, on June 15, at high priority 53.

He was buried tear Polk Place. In 1893, fillet remains, along with those unsaved his wife, who outlived him by more than 40 geezerhood, were moved to the River Capitol in Nashville.

Citation Information

Article Title

James K.

Polk

Author

History.com Editors

Website Name

HISTORY

URL

https://www.history.com/topics/us-presidents/james-polk

Date Accessed

January 17, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

June 7, 2019

Original Published Date

October 29, 2009