James K. Polk

Presidents, 1795-1849

James Knox Polk was born in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, the eldest of 10 children. His family moved to Tennessee, in 1806. Despite ill health and little formal schooling in his early years, Polk managed to graduate from the University of North Carolina with honors in 1818.

He studied law under Felix Grundy, the leading lawyer in Nashville, then began practice on his own in 1820. He quickly turned to politics and was elected to the state legislature in 1823.

In 1825, Polk was elected to the House of Representatives from Tennessee and served in Congress until 1839, the last four years as Speaker. Polk was a leader of the Jacksonian loyalists and was especially helpful to the president during the Bank War.

Democrats took much of the blame for the depression that followed the Panic of 1837. Polk returned to Tennessee and was elected governor in 1839, but was defeated in two succeeding elections.

Polk emerged as the dark horse Democratic candidate in the Election of 1844, edging out Henry Clay. The campaign was dominated by two expansionist issues — the annexation of Texas and the occupation of Oregon.

Polk as president surprised many by his independence and hard work. He announced four goals for his administration:

• Reestablishment of the independent treasury system
• Lowering the tariff
• Settlement of the Oregon boundary dispute
• Acquisition of California.

However, Polk was not successful with avoiding the Mexican War. He became deeply involved in all aspects of planning the conflict, but clashed sharply with Zachary Taylor and Winfield Scott.

James K. Polk was the last significant Jacksonian; he was able to enact many Democratic economic ideas, but failed to advance his party’s interests on the slavery question. He conducted one of the most tightly focused administrations ever and won admiration — even from his critics — for his work ethic.

However, the question remains as to whether Polk was a great president who admirably increased American territory and prestige, or was he simply a bullying expansionist who conspired to take lands from a weaker neighbor?