Polk

pok, James K. (1795-1849), the eleventh president of the United States. He was born in Mecklenberg County, North Carolina, November 2, 1795. He died at Nashville, Tennessee, June 15, 1849. The Polks were of Scotch-Irish descent, the name being formerly Pollock. James K. was educated at the University of North Carolina, studied law, and in 1820 established an office in Columbia, Tennessee. Three years later he was elected to the Tennessee legislature. With slight intervals he remained in public life until the time of his death. In 1825 he was sent to Congress by the Democratic party. From 1835 to 1839 he was speaker of the House. . At the close of his congressional career he was made governor of Tennessee.

In 1844 Van Buren was a candidate for a second term. The Southern Democrats nominated Polk instead, and, after an exciting campaign, elected him president over Henry Clay, the Whig candidate. He ran on a platform favoring the annexation of Texas and the occupation of Oregon, a double issue which appealed to both sections of the Union. The chief event of his administration was the prosecution of the Mexican War which followed on the heels of the annexation of Texas. The forty-ninth parallel was settled upon as the northern boundary of Oregon, although "Fifty-four-forty, or fight" had been the slogan of the campaign. Very naturally Polk's opponents claimed that he was much keener to gain territory in the southeast, where it was likely to be occupied by slaveholders. Florida and Wisconsin, as well as Texas, were admitted during this administration and California was declared a part of the United States. The discovery of gold in the latter territory was followed by a rush of immigration in that direction.

The policy of making national appropriations for the improvement of rivers and harbors received a serious check. Polk vetoed the bill for the purpose, claiming such a use of public money was unjustifiable. At the close of his administration Polk retired to his home near Knoxville, Tennessee, where he died in the following June. He was a man of integrity and quiet habits, a good citizen. While he was not a brilliant man he made a very respectable president.

See Presidents