James K. Polk
Born in North Carolina, on Nov. 2, 1795, James Polk came to Tennessee along with his family when
he was around 10 years of age. He graduated from the University of North Carolina, where he received high academic
honors, and studied law under Felix Grundy of Nashville, one of the best lawyers in the area. Young Polk began
practicing law in Columbia and quickly gained distinction as a man of Tremendous energy and ability. In 1823 his
public career began by his being elected to the State Legislature. Two years later he was elected to Congress where
he remained until 1839, during which time he served two terms as Speaker of the House of Representatives. In 1839,
he ran for Governor of Tennessee and was elected. How ever he was defeated in bids for reelection in 1841
and 1843, due largely to the after effects of the nationwide depression in 1837, the up coming Whig Party in Tennessee
and difficult State economic problems.
In 1844, at the Baltimore Democratic Convention, Polk was nominated for President of the united States and was elected as the first "dark horse" candidate for that office. As President he directed the country's efforts in the Mexican War, during which California along with most of the Southwest, an area of nearly 500,000 square miles were added to the United States. Worn down with the heavy mental and physical strain of the office, he then returned to Nashville at the end of his term only to fall victim to cholera in June of 1849. In some respects, his record stands unequalled in American's history. In a span of 4 brief years, he had been twice defeated for re-election as Governor, having failed to carry his own state in the presidential election of 1844 and yet had emerged victorious as the 11th President of the United States.
©Brenda Neely 2006