James Polk
| James K. Polk | |
|---|---|
Portrait of James K. Polk by George Peter Alexander Healy, 1846
|
|
| 11th President of the United States | |
|
In office March 4, 1845 – March 4, 1849 |
|
| Vice President | George M. Dallas |
| Preceded by | John Tyler |
| Succeeded by | Zachary Taylor |
| 9th Governor of Tennessee | |
|
In office October 14, 1839 – October 15, 1841 |
|
| Preceded by | Newton Cannon |
| Succeeded by | James C. Jones |
| 13th Speaker of the United States House of Representatives | |
|
In office December 7, 1835 – March 4, 1839 |
|
| President |
Andrew Jackson Martin Van Buren |
| Preceded by | John Bell |
| Succeeded by | Robert M. T. Hunter |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Tennessee's 9th district |
|
|
In office March 4, 1833 – March 4, 1839 |
|
| Preceded by | William Fitzgerald |
| Succeeded by | Harvey Magee Watterson |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Tennessee's 6th district |
|
|
In office March 4, 1825 – March 4, 1833 |
|
| Preceded by | John Alexander Cocke |
| Succeeded by | Balie Peyton |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
James Knox Polk November 2, 1795 Pineville, North Carolina, U.S. |
| Died | June 15, 1849 (aged 53) Nashville, Tennessee, U.S. |
| Resting place |
Tennessee State Capitol Nashville, Tennessee |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) | Sarah Childress (m. 1824) |
| Alma mater | University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill |
| Profession | |
| Signature |  |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |
 Tennessee
|
| Service/branch | Tennessee State Militia |
| Unit | 5th Brigade Cavalry Regiment |
| The Polk Cabinet | ||
|---|---|---|
| Office | Name | Term |
| President | James K. Polk | 1845–1849 |
| Vice President | George M. Dallas | 1845–1849 |
| Secretary of State | James Buchanan | 1845–1849 |
| Secretary of Treasury | Robert J. Walker | 1845–1849 |
| Secretary of War | William L. Marcy | 1845–1849 |
| Attorney General | John Y. Mason | 1845–1846 |
| Nathan Clifford | 1846–1848 | |
| Isaac Toucey | 1848–1849 | |
| Postmaster General | Cave Johnson | 1845–1849 |
| Secretary of the Navy | George Bancroft | 1845–1846 |
| John Y. Mason | 1846–1849 | |
James Knox Polk (November 2, 1795 – June 15, 1849) was the 11th President of the United States (1845–49). He previously served as the 13th Speaker of the House of Representatives and as Governor of Tennessee. A protege of Andrew Jackson, Polk was a member of the Democratic Party and an adherent of Jacksonian democracy and Manifest Destiny. During his presidency, the United States expanded significantly with the annexation of Republic of Texas, the Oregon Treaty, and the conclusion of the Mexican-American War.
Polk was born in Pineville, North Carolina, and moved to Tennessee to study law. After building a successful law practice, he was elected to the Tennessee legislature and then to the United States House of Representatives in 1825. A close ally of President Andrew Jackson, Polk served as the Speaker of the House of Representatives from 1835 to 1839, making him the only president to have also served as Speaker. He left Congress to serve as Governor of Tennessee from 1839 to 1841. After losing re-election as governor in 1840, and losing in another gubernatorial election in 1842, Polk was a dark horse candidate for president in 1844. Though he entered the convention hoping to be nominated for vice president, he won the presidential nomination as a compromise candidate among the various party factions. In the general election, he defeated Henry Clay of the rival Whig Party in large part due to his promise to annex the Republic of Texas.
...
Wikipedia