James Knox Polk
At a Glance
Term: 11th President of the United States (1845-1849)
Born: November 2, 1795, Mecklenburg County, North Carolina
Nickname: "Young Hickory"
Education: University of North Carolina (graduated 1818)
Religion: Presbyterian
Marriage: January 1, 1824, to Sarah Childress (1803-1891)
Children: None
Career: Lawyer
Political Party: Democrat
Writings: The Diary of James K. Polk (4 vols., 1910), ed. by Milo M. Quaife; Correspondence of James K. Polk, 10 vols. (1969- )
Died: June 15, 1849, Nashville, Tennessee
Buried: State Capitol Grounds, Nashville, Tennessee
A Life in Brief: Under James Knox Polk, the United States grew by more than a million square miles, adding territory that now composes the states of Arizona, Utah, Nevada, California, Oregon, Idaho, Washington, much of New Mexico, and portions of Wyoming, Montana, and Colorado.More....
Essays on James Knox Polk and His Administration
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James Knox Polk
A Life in Brief • Life Before the Presidency • Campaigns and Elections • Domestic Affairs • Foreign Affairs • Life After the Presidency • Family Life • The American Franchise • Impact and Legacy • Key Events |
| First Lady Sarah Polk |
| Vice President George M. Dallas (1845 - 1849) |
| Secretary of State James Buchanan (1845 - 1849) |
| Secretary of War William L. Marcy (1845 - 1849) |
| Postmaster General Cave Johnson (1845 - 1849) |
| Secretary of the Treasury Robert J. Walker (1845 - 1849) |
| Attorney General John Y. Mason (1845 - 1846) • Nathan Clifford (1846 - 1848) • Isaac Toucey (1848 - 1849) |
| Secretary of the Navy George Bancroft (1845 - 1846) • John Y. Mason (1846 - 1849) |
Consulting Editor: John C. Pinheiro
Professor Pinheiro is an assistant professor of history and director of Catholic Studies at Aquinas College. He formerly served as a research assistant on the Correspondence of James K. Polk project at the University of Tennessee and as an assistant editor of The Papers of George Washington at the University of Virginia. His writings include:
Manifest Ambition: James K. Polk and Civil-Military Relations during the Mexican War (Praeger Security International, 2007)
The Papers of George Washington, Presidential Series, Vol. 12 (Co-Editor, University of Virginia Press, 2005.)
Presidential Speeches
Below are selections from the Miller Center's James Knox Polk speech collection. To view the Miller Center's other speeches by James Knox Polk or by another President, please click the link below.
Miller Center Scholarship and Speakers
The Miller Center of Public Affairs is a national nonpartisan center to research, reflect, and report on American government, with special attention to the central role and history of the presidency. Below is a selection of Miller Center resources on James Knox Polk.
Listen to Historians Merrill Peterson, Robert Rutland, William Harbaugh, and Norman Graebner’s 1980 presentation at the Miller Center on Presidents Jefferson, Madison, Polk, and Theodore Roosevelt.
President James Polk led the country as Commander in Chief during the Mexican War. Click here to learn more about the Miller Center’s National War Powers Commission.
Click here to learn more about the Center’s National Commission on Presidential Transitions and Foreign Policy and its relationship to Polk.
Scripps Library Reference Resources
Below are links to reference resources prepared by the Miller Center's Scripps Library that are designed to help students and scholars quickly conduct their research.