James K Polk | Presidency, Biography, Facts & Death

James K Polk Summary

James K Polk was the 11th President of the United States of America. He was Andrew Jackson’s buddy and admirer who supported Polk achieve the 1825 election for the U.S. Hall of Congress. In 1839, he resigned from the House to become the county executive of Tennessee. Polk was chosen as the moderate republican at the stalemated Democratic conference in 1844; he is regarded as the first presidential underdog. With the motto “Fifty-four Forty or Fight,” he boldly asserted his title to the whole area, reaching as far north as 54° 40′.

The Walker Tariff Agreement, which decreased import taxes and promoted international commerce, was passed under his leadership in 1846. He was elected to the presidency at age 49, making him the fastest president in history. He oversaw the conduct of the Mexican Revolution, which produced significant territory gains but reignited the discussion on the expansion of slavery. 

He also directed modification of the treasury structure, declared the Monroe Doctrine authentic and founded the Bureau of Affairs, U.S. Naval Institute, and American Institute. Although a capable and effective president who handled Congress with skill, he was worn out by his endeavors and decided not to run for reelection; he passed just three months after departing office.

Explore the full list of Presidents in the United States to understand their legacy and impact.

Fast Facts

Born	Polk, James Knox Pineville, North Carolina, U.S., November 2, 1795
Died	Aged 53 on June 15, 1849, in Nashville, Tennessee, United States
Wife	Sarah Childress (m. 1824) ​
Parents	S. Polk and J. Knox

James k Polk’s Early Life And Professional Career

James k Polk was Samuel, as well as Jane Knox Polk’s oldest child. At 11, he relocated to Tennessee alongside his parents, where his dad ran a successful ranch in Maury State. Polk could not attend school because of illnesses when he was a youngster. Still, in the year 20, he completed the entry exams for the North Carolina State University Carolina’s second semester. He was “precise, punctual, and hardworking,” the Latin star student of his graduation ceremony in 1818, and a distinguished student in literature and arithmetic.

He moved to Tennessee following receiving his degree and started a law business in Nashville. His connections to prominent public leaders in the state stoked his passion for politics which had interested him since he was a little lad. He was enrolled in the law in 1820. It ensured his political future because he was a devout Democrat and a steadfast admirer of Andrew Jackson. Since his manner of parliamentary oratory was so well-liked, he was dubbed the “Napoleon of the platform.”

His spouse, Sarah Childress Polk (1803–1891), whom he wedded on January 1, 1824, while sitting in the state Legislature, contributed to his quick climb to political dominance (1823–25).

Download this Article in PDF Format

Get a well-documented version of this article for offline reading or archiving.

Download Now (620 KB)

She established herself as the president’s wife with the most influence and power after Abigail Adams. The social standing of Sarah Polk’s relative’s dad, Joel Childress, seems to have been a plantation owner—as well as her beauty and demeanor, which were occasionally referred to as “queenly,” were valuable advantages for a lawyer with political aspirations. She was a strong-willed lady who, together with

her sister, had ridden their horses 500 miles to enter the Moravian Female Institute at Salem, North Carolina, among the finest colleges in the South. She detested housework, but because there were no children in the relationship, she was relieved of most household duties and allowed to engage in her husband’s mainstream society.

She was known as “the Presidentress” after her spouse was elected president. She avoided dancing, the theater, and horseback riding due to her strict Presbyterianism and outlawed music on Sundays at the President’s Residence. She was a devotee of history, yet she oversaw the construction of the White House’s inaugural gaslights.

James Knox Polk had been a political scholar by nature, a lawmaker by training, and an executive by need. He was a complex man to understand or to like. Even close friends did not like his frugality, and coworkers accepted but did not support his rigid standards of life.

The presence of Andrew Jackson, one of his only good friends, helped move Polk through the Tennessee Legislature to the U.s. He represented the House from 1825 to 1839 by encouraging and elevating him.

During his tenure as House Speaker (1835–1899), Polk gained a following as a steadfast advocate of Jacksonian values. He resigned from the House in 1839 to serve in the governorship of Tennessee. It persuaded him to run for office again after losing bids for reelection in 1841 and 1843 by narrow margins.

Polk only aspired for the second presidential nominee at the Party congress in Baltimore, Maryland, throughout 1844 since the movement had more notable sons running for president, including Martin Van Buren and Lewis Cass, but also James Buchanan. However, the Democrats were unable to come to an understanding. Thus a centrist candidate needed to be chosen. Polk would work since the contest would be based on ideas rather than a candidate’s personality.

When Polk’s name arrived well over the country’s first telegram line, which connected Baltimore with Washington at the time and was just 5 days old, folks in Washington could barely imagine their senses. Despite being well enough in national politics, Polk became the first “dark horse” candidate in the president’s existence.

Polk had strong loyalty to his party, but his honesty was unquestionable; he was aware of the House’s rights and obligations. Polk’s catchphrase, “Fifty-four forty and fight,” asserted his claim to the entirety of the area that reached as far north as latitudes 54°40′.

Presidency of James Knox Polk

The 1844 election

Democrats supported Johnson, Polk’s rival and the previous vice president. Many Southerners supported Calhoun’s campaign, whereas the West supported Senators Lewis Cass with Representative Henry Clay, the son-in-law of former Vice President Lyndon Johnson.

President Andrew Jackson intended for the State of Texas to ally with the United States after it effectively overthrew Mexico. Mexico, which views Texas as a renegade region, would be incensed by a Texas separation. It would also interfere with what was thought to be America’s American Exceptionalism to colonize the continent. Following the abolition of slavery, Britain sought to increase her power in Texas, but if Texas entered, it would offer a safe refuge for fugitives in the West.

Fans of Texas annexation were outraged by Van Buren’s pro-annexation attitude, and his advocates in the old Southwestern were shocked when he published a letter criticizing it. When Andrew Jackson saw that Van Buren had followed a similar course of action, he was thrilled and determined that Polk should be in charge of the ticket. Whig National Conference chose Theodore Frelinghuysen of New Jersey as Clay’s running partner, and Clay was elected president by proclamation.

Van Buren received the Democratic party’s presidential candidate in 1844 but fell short of obtaining two-thirds of the delegate votes. Since colonizers in the South and West opposed Van Buren, Polk was considered a middle-ground choice. The conference was tied after seven ballots until Cass grabbed the advantage on the sixth. James Buchanan was selected as vice president after receiving support from voters on the first ballot along with Cass, Johnson, Calhoun, & Buchanan.

Silas Wright, a congressman, turned down Van Buren’s candidacy for vice president. The Democratic contender for president, Polk, won 233 points on the ninth vote compared to Cass’s 29, giving him the winner. Polk earned just 44 votes on the ninth ballot, but there were hints that the impasse could be breaking. The Tennessean was nominated unanimously after many delegates made their intentions known.

Although his selection was a minor shock than later nominees like Franklin Pierce and Warren G. Harding, James K. Polk was already called the first “strong contender” presidential candidate. On May 30, the participants adopted a policy and parted with only a few Georgia members opposing Polk’s selection. Retired Pennsylvania congressman George M. Dallas was proposed by Mississippi politician Robert J. Walker for the vice presidential candidacy.

Presidency Tenure (1845–1849)

James K Polk went on to carry out his campaign pledges after narrowly sweeping the popular vote (170-105) but winning more Electoral College votes. Since the American Revolutionary, the population of the nation he reigned over had increased by a factor of two every twenty years, reaching statistical parity with Great Britain. 

During Polk’s administration, technology continued to advance, increasing telegraph usage and railroad growth. These enhanced connections sparked a desire for change. However, throughout his administration, divisions within sections grew worse.

Polk had four specific objectives for his Government

• Restore the Independent Treasury Authority, which was put under Van Buren but repealed by the Whigs.
• Lower the tariffs.
• Obtain all or a portion of the Oregon Territory.
• Take possession of California and its ports from Mexico.

James k Polk’s domestic ambitions were in line with earlier Democratic ideas. Still, if it achieved its foreign policy objectives, it would be the first significant expansion of American territory since the Adams-Onis Agreement of 1819.

Elections, inaugurations, and transitions

John Calhoun served as Tyler’s head of state, although he was prepared to retire. In addition to his county of Tennessee, Polk felt that the big states like New York, Penn, and Virginia should be represented in the six-member Government. Although he opted to select James Buchanan from Pennsylvania, his desire for the administration was well-known, and he wouldn’t want his Cabinet to include presidential aspirations.

John Y. Mason from Virginia, who served as President John Tyler’s final Navy Secretary, wasn’t on the previous sample for President Polk’s Administration. Bancroft, appointed U.S. minister to Britain, was to be replaced by Mason as Attorney General, but Polk made a last-minute change. Tyler was undecided whether to approve or delegate the measure to Polk since he was busy in talks to resolve a stalemate in the Texas annexation.

James k Polk’s installation became the first to be covered by the telegram and shown in a paper drawing (published in The Weekly London News). Polk used a line from Jackson’s famous address, “Every admirer of his nation must shiver at the prospect of its breakup and is willing to embrace the patriotic emotion. “Our National Union—it should be saved,” to declare his adherence to Jackson’s beliefs.

J. Knox Walker, the son of James A. Polk’s sister and his chief advisor, served as a member of the White House crew throughout his uncle’s administration.

Foreign relations

Oregon Country is divided

Explorers’ journeys gave rise to assertions of the Oregon Territory for Britain, and the U.S. Spain and Russia had renounced their dubious claims. The town’s indigenous folk’s rights to their ancestral lands did not matter.

Former American administrations had proposed dividing the area at the 49th parallel, but Britain had refused because of its trade interests anywhere along Columbia Valley. Polk’s suggested division would have given Britain control of Puget Bay and all eastern parts of the Columbia River.

James k Polk’s inauguration address included a declaration that the United States claim to Oregon was “obvious and undeniable,” prompting British warnings of war if he moved to seize the entirety of the region. Polk advocated a separation all along the boundary, but Pakenham dismissed his proposal. Polk asked permission to give England a one-year warning of his plan to end the joint possession of Oregon during his annual speech to Congress throughout December 1845.

Many were alarmed by James Polk’s readiness to risk conflict with Britain. Yet, his tenacious negotiation methods may have forced the British to make compromises that a more amiable leader might have rejected. Around June 1846, Pakenham proposed a border at the southern boundary, with the proviso that Britain would keep possession of the entire island of Vancouver and provide its citizens restricted navigation privileges on the Valley. Most of Polk’s Cabinet members were ready to embrace the plan. The Oregon Pact was approved in the Senate by a margin of 41 to 14.

The Guadalupe Hidalgo Accord created Peace

In November 1847, President James k Polk asked the diplomat, James Scott Trist, to leave Mexico Town and return to Washington. Polk almost removed Butler. However, Polk gave him additional time to work out a sense of peace with Mexico. Trist and even the Mexican representatives ratified the Treaty with Guadalupe Hidalgo on February 2, 1848. He signed the pact at a tiny village close to Mexico Town, just at the Mexicans’ desire. By a vote that was unaffiliated with either political party or region. The Senate approved the pact by a 38–14 margin.

James Polk succeeded in all 4 of his main presidential objectives after acquiring California. It created Contiguous America’s current borders.

Additional Efforts

The Mallarino-Bidlack Agreement was reached by Benjamin Alden Bidlack, Polk’s envoy to the Government of New Granada. Washington only formed this partnership once throughout the 19th century. It carved out a significant American presence in Latin America and served to check British dominance there. It made it possible to build the Panama Railroad, which went into operation in 1855.

Voting in 1848

In 1848, Polk chose not to run for renewal as the U.S. president. The Whig Campaign’s Zachary Taylor won the presidency, and Millard Fillmore from Nyc won the vice presidency. Taylor won the race having a plurality of the electoral votes and 47.3% of the national vote. Polk didn’t think well of Taylor, considering the general to be a person of limited beliefs and lousy judgment.

James k Polk’s Death And Post-Presidency In 1849

James Polk’s condition suffered due to his tenure in the White House. James Polk came into the presidency with a lot of vim and passion, but his decades of public duty left him worn out. Upon March 6, he departed from Washington for a planned celebratory journey of the Southern American States, concluding in Nashville. Polk had made plans to purchase Felix Grundy’s former home there, which became known as Polk Place.

James Polk and Sarah Polk went throughout the Deep South before continuing westward along the East coast. He had a severe cold even when the Polks arrived in Alabama. Polk completed the last leg and arrived in downtown Nashville on April 2 after a doctor gave him the all-clear that he would not have cholera.

The Polks moved into Polk House after making a trip to James’ mom in Columbia. The worn-out former president first appeared to regain his energy, but in mid-June, he reportedly had cholera. 

James Polk stayed for a few days while being seen by several physicians. He decided to be christened into the Baptist Church that he had long loved, despite his spouse being a devoted Presbyterian and his mom having traveled from Columbia accompanying her Presbyterian minister. James k Polk passed away at 53 on the lunchtime of June 15 inside his Polk Place residence in Nashville, Tennessee.

People Also Ask?