James K. Polk

James K. Polk, 11th President of the United States

Term

11th President of the United States
Democratic
March 4, 1845 - March 4, 1849  (49-53)
Preceded by John Tyler
Succeeded by Zachary Taylor

11th Governor of Tennessee
October 14, 1839 - October 15, 1841  (43-45)
Preceded by Newton Cannon
Succeeded by James C. Jones

Data

Full Name	James Knox Polk
Born	November 2, 1795
Birthplace	Pineville, North Carolina
Alma Mater	University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill  (1818)
Died	June 15, 1849  (53 years)
Deathplace	Nashville, Tennessee

Parents

Samuel Ezekiel Polk

Born	July 5, 1772
Father	Ezekiel Franklin Polk  (1747-1824) (77 years)
Mother	Mary Jane Winslow Wilson  (1746-91) (45 years)
Marriage	1794 - 1827  (33 years, died)
Died	November 5, 1827  (55 years)

Jane Gracey Knox

Born	November 15, 1776
Father	James Knox  (1752-94) (42 years)
Mother	Lydia Gillespie  (1753-1826) (73 years)
Children	10
Died	January 11, 1852  (75 years)

Siblings

1. Jane Maria Polk  (1798-1876) (78 years) (married 1813  James Walker  (1792-1864) (72 years))
2. Lydia Eliza Polk  (1800-64) (64 years) (married 1817  Silas Caldwell  (1794-1846) (52 years))
3. Franklin Ezekiel Polk  (1802-31) (29 years)
4. Marshall Tate Polk  (1805-31) (26 years) (married 1827  Laura Wilson  (1808-48) (40 years))
5. John Lee Polk  (1807-31) (24 years)
6. Naomi Tate Polk  (1809-36) (27 years) (married 1825  Adlai Harris  (1798-1862) (64 years))
7. Ophelia Clarissa Polk  (1812-51) (39 years) (married 1829  John Hayes  (1794-1868) (74 years))
8. William Hawkins Polk  (1815-62) (47 years) (married 1837  Belinda Dickinson  (1810-42) (32 years)) (married 1847  Mary Corse  (1815-51) (36 years)) (married 1854  Lucy Williams  (1826-1906) (80 years))
9. Samuel Washington Polk  (1817-39) (22 years)

Marriages

1. Sarah Childress

Born	September 4, 1803
Father	Joel Childress  (1777-1819) (42 years)
Mother	Elizabeth Whitsitt  (1781-1863) (82 years)
Marriage	January 1, 1824 - June 15, 1849  (25 years, died)
Died	August 14, 1891  (87 years)

Occupation

Speaker of the United States House of Representatives  (1835-39)

Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee  (1833-35)

U.S. Representative from Tennessee's 9th District  (1833-39)

U.S. Representative from Tennessee's 5th District  (1825-33)

Lawyer

Farmer

Presidential Election of 1844

1. James K. Polk

Birth/Death	1795 - 1849  (54 years)
State	Tennessee
Occupation	Former Governor of Tennessee  (1839-41)
Political Party	Democratic
Vice President	George M. Dallas  (1792-1864) (PA) Former U.S. Minister to Russia  (1837-39)
Popular Vote	1, 339, 494  (49.54%)
Electoral Vote	170  (15 states)

2. Henry Clay

Birth/Death	1777 - 1852  (75 years)
State	Kentucky
Occupation	Former U.S. Senator from Kentucky  (1806-07, 1810-11, 1831-42, 1849-52)
Political Party	Whig
Vice President	Theodore Frelinghuysen  (1787-1862) (NJ) Former Mayor of Newark, New Jersey  (1837-38)
Popular Vote	1, 300, 004  (48.08%)
Electoral Vote	105  (11 states)

3. James G. Birney

Birth/Death	1792 - 1857  (65 years)
State	Michigan
Occupation	Former Mayor of Huntsville, Alabama  (1829-31)
Political Party	Liberty
Vice President	Thomas Morris  (1776-1844) (OH) Former U.S. Senator from Ohio  (1833-39)
Popuar Vote	62, 103  (2.3%)
Electoral Vote	0

Vice President

George M. Dallas  (1792-1864)	PA	1845-49

Cabinet

Secretary of State

James Buchanan  (1791-1868)	PA	1845-49

Secretary of the Treasury

Robert J. Walker  (1801-69)	MS	1845-49

Secretary of War

William L. Marcy  (1786-1857)	NY	1845-49

Attorney General

John Y. Mason  (1799-1859)	VA	1845-46
Nathan Clifford  (1803-81)	ME	1846-48
Isaac Toucey  (1792-1869)	CT	1848-49

Secretary of the Navy

George Bancroft  (1800-91)	MA	1845-46
John Y. Mason  (1799-1859)	VA	1846-49

Postmaster General

Cave Johnson  (1793-1866)	TN	1845-49

United States Supreme Court

Chief Justice

Roger B. Taney  (1777-1864)	MD	1836-64  (28 years)

Associate Justices

Joseph Story  (1779-1845)	MA	1811-45  (34 years)
John McLean  (1785-1861)	OH	1829-61  (32 years)
James Moore Wayne  (1790-1867)	GA	1835-67  (32 years)
John Catron  (1786-1865)	TN	1837-65  (28 years)
John McKinley  (1780-1852)	AL	1837-52  (15 years)
Peter Vivian Daniel  (1784-1860)	VA	1841-60  (19 years)
Samuel Nelson  (1792-1875)	NY	1845-72  (27 years)
Levi Woodbury  (1789-1851)	NH	1845-51  (6 years)
Robert Cooper Grier  (1794-1870)	PA	1846-70  (24 years)