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James K. Polk Presidential $1 Coin — 11th President, 1845 - 1849
• Born: 2 November 1795
• Birthplace: Mecklenburg County, North Carolina
• Died: 15 June 1849
• Best Known As: President of the United States, 1845-49
A lawyer and former congressman from Tennessee, James Knox Polk became a "dark horse" candidate for the Democratic Party in 1844. He narrowly defeated Whig Henry Clay in the general election and succeeded John Tyler to the presidency.
The major event of his administration was the Mexican War, a controversial event which fit neatly with Polk's expansionist policies. During Polk's term the Oregon question was settled (the U.S. and Britain agreeing to divide the Pacific Northwest between them at the 49th parallel) and for the first time the territory of the United States extended to the Pacific Ocean.
Polk served only one term, but is considered to have been one of the more aggressively productive men ever to hold the office. He was succeeded by a popular general from the war with Mexico, Zachary Taylor.
Polk died only three months after leaving office... He was baptized six days before his death... President Polk laid the cornerstone of the Washington Monument... Gas lighting was installed in the White House during Polk's administration... Polk married Sarah Childress in 1824; they had no children.
James K. Polk, America's 11th President, was born in 1795 in North Carolina. When he was a young boy, his family moved to the wilderness of Tennessee to establish a plantation there. Trained as a lawyer, he served 6 terms in the U.S. House of Representatives, including 4 years as Speaker of the House. After leaving the House, he served as Tennessee governor.
Despite his many years of national service, he was relatively unknown when he was nominated by the Democratic Party to run for President. He was the first "dark-horse" candidate to be nominated by a major political party and won the presidency by a slim margin over Henry Clay.
Polk was a strong proponent of "Manifest Destiny," the belief that the United States had the right to expand throughout the entire continent. He oversaw the growth of the country by more than 1 million square miles during his time in office, including the annexation of present-day Oregon and Washington from Great Britain. Through war with Mexico and the subsequent Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, California and New Mexico were added, and a Texas border on the Rio Grande was established.
A hard worker who rarely delegated even minor tasks, he hardly took a day of vacation while President. Having pledged to serve just 1 term, he left office exhausted from the strains of the presidency. He died in Nashville, Tenn., in 1849, just 3 and a half months after leaving office.