President James K. Polk
James Knox Polk was born on Nov. 2, 1795 in the wilderness of
North Carolina. He was of Scots-Irish descent and part of the
rugged frontier stock that had settled the region. When he was
around 10 years old, his parents decided to move to the lands
of Middle Tennessee. James was never the athletic type that
his brothers were and often considered sickly by those who knew
him. His father knew James could not take on the farm work his
brothers were doing and pushed him to do well in school where
James turned out to be a brilliant student at Bradley Academy
in Murfreesboro.
When he was 17-years-old, he was suddenly struck with crippling
pains in his lower body. After a physical examination, it was
determined that Polk was suffering from bladder stones that
would have to be removed. His father rode with him to Kentucky
where a doctor performed an operation to remove them. In a day
with no anesthetic or sterile equipment, Polk could only grit
his teeth, but the teenager pulled through the operation with
little problem and rode back to his home in Columbia.
Polk went on to attend the University of North Carolina and
graduated in 1818. He returned home and began studying law in
the office of Felix Grundy, then one of the most influential
men in the west. His study of law ended in 1820 when Polk was
admitted to the bar in Tennessee and began practicing on his
own.
In 1823, Polk started his public life when he was elected to
the state legislature. Two years later he was elected to the
U.S. House of Representatives where he remained until 1839.
During that time, the Tennessean served two terms as Speaker
of the House in a time when party rivalry was bitter and arguments
between factions were often settled in the most barbaric means.
Polk also married during his time in office to Sarah Childress
of Murfreesboro. The 21-year-old turned into Polk’s greatest
ally and confidant. She was highly educated and able to discuss
the issues of the day with her husband in a way only few women
could.
Politically, Polk was recognized as an able Jacksonian Democrat
and was occasionally discussed as a Vice-Presidential candidate
on the Democratic ticket.
The state politics of the day, however, were considered more
important than a Congressional seat. A state played a vital
role in both national and international circles and its chief
office was considered more valuable than a representative’s
post in the federal government. In 1839, Polk was elected Governor
of Tennessee and served a term of two years. He ran for reelection
in 1841 and 43, but was defeated both times in spite of all
Andrew Jackson could do for him. His defeat has long been credited
to the facts that the nation was just recovering from a major
economic depression and the Whig Party’s growing popularity
in the state offered voters a chance for change in leadership.
While Jackson was a popular man in national politics, his support
of Polk could have had an adverse effect in his home state.
Many Tennesseans still held a grudge over Jackson’s treatment
of Knoxvillian Hugh Lawson White’s nomination for president
and he was not liked by many voters in the state.
Under the adverse political climate that was causing Polk problems,
the Tennessean had caught the attention of the Democratic leadership.
Members of the Democratic Party in 1844 began pressing him again
to run as a Vice-Presidential candidate on the ticket with Martin
Van Buren.
There was one single issue that divided the party and it was
the re annexation of Texas into the United States. Van Buren,
often called the "Little Magician" because of his
ability to build strange alliances and political coalitions
in the house, had never given any indication that he was willing
to take up the Texas issue. Van Buren had been badly defeated
in 1840 when he ran for a second term and that led his friends
to place him back in nomination for the Presidency to vindicate
his term in office.
A group of Southern Democrats, under the leadership of Mississippi
Senator Robert J. Walker, began pressing the Texas annexation
issue on Van Buren and demanded he make it part of his platform
or face losing the Southern support.
After consulting with Jackson and his other advisors in April,
Van Buren issued a statement and then publicly declared that
he was opposed to the annexation of Texas into the United States.
When the Baltimore Convention met in May, the issue exploded
into a brawl among delegates. Many saw the New Yorker as wishy-washy
and afraid to capitalize on American claims in Texas and the
upper Northwest regions of Washington and Oregon. After some
backroom political maneuvering, Tennessean James K. Polk’s
name was tendered and he succeeded Van Buren on the floor becoming
the first "dark-horse" candidate in history to be
nominated for the office of President. Although little was known
about him outside of political circles and his home state, the
candidate began picking up support from those who supported
American expansion.
Polk, who was an ardent supporter of the Texas annexation and
the inclusion of the Northwest Territories, immediately secured
the vital southern support for his candidacy. While he didn’t
carry his home state of Tennessee, Polk emerged victorious anyway
and was voted in as the eleventh President of the United States
of America. George M. Dallas, a popular Pennsylvanian "protectionist"
was elected as Vice-President. Even though the President was
politically opposed to most of what Dallas stood for, the two
ended up making one of the best teams to ever work in the White
House.
Polk was an avowed expansionist and believed the nation should
take advantage of the real estate and natural resources of the
northwest and immediately started the drive to reannex Texas
back into nation as a State. His wife, who served as Polk’s
personal secretary also made her mark in the office while First
Lady. Her favorite color was red and Sarah Polk decorated the
White House with the color. One of the rooms was so filled with
it that it still bears the name "red room" to this
day.
Few presidents in history have ever had to deal with the opposition
in Congress that Polk had to face. Van Buren and his friends
in the House felt snubbed by the Democratic Party. The former
President took on a "divide and conquer" attitude
among Democratic Party members that he hoped would split the
party. Once they were fighting among themselves; it would allow
him to maneuver back into power. One of his tactics was to often
convince his supporters to withhold support on critical votes
that would make it difficult for the President.
Polk, however, was learning to overcome the New Yorker and was
successful in annexing Texas, he solved the Oregon problem,
but without getting all of the land he wanted, settled the long-standing
tariff dispute between the Northern and Southern states, and
established a new treasury system that remained in effect until
the War Between the States.
Polk’s efforts to continue expanding the nation did not
end there. He sought to procure by treaty certain lands claimed
by Texans and hoped to purchase New Mexico and California from
the Mexican government. In 1845, he dispatched John Sidell to
carry his proposal to the Mexican government. The Mexican government
refused to see the ambassador and Sidell raised the ire of many
powerful leaders in the nation with his presentation. With war
brewing, Polk agreed to let General Santa Anna return from exile
in Cuba to help diffuse the situation. The famous Mexican General,
however, tricked the administration and immediately seized power
in Mexico and raised an army to repel the "American invaders".
The American Army under General Zachary Taylor was posted near
one of the contested territories and the Mexican Army attacked
them in response to what they saw as "American Imperialism"
in the southwest territories. President Polk put out a call
for volunteers to relieve General Taylor. Westerners and Southerners
volunteered en masse, forcing many recruiters to find ways to
deal with the large numbers and get them dispatched to Mexico.
Many men from Tennessee didn’t wait for recruiters and
headed toward Texas "gun in hand" to join up. The
Mexican War became America’s most shining achievement,
but left Polk with another hard decision.
Members of Polk’s cabinet were pushing hard for him to
seize Mexico following the war and bring the entire nation under
American control. It would have meant the dismemberment of the
country and Polk, who was a gifted diplomat for his day, decided
against it. Instead, the President forced Mexican officials
to sign over the territories he originally wanted. The President
received New Mexico, Texas, Arizona, large parts of Colorado,
and California. By the time the ink was dry on the papers, President
James K. Polk had added over 1,000,000-square-miles of fresh
and valuable real estate to the United States of America.
During the Mexican War, Polk had been forced into sometimes-difficult
negotiations with Britain over the Oregon territories. Keeping
a war off of two fronts, however, proved to be a hard sell to
supporters. The negotiations with Britain did not yield the
northern part of Oregon that would have stretched to the Alaskan
border. Polk had opted to allow the British leeway in the negotiations
in order to help keep European nations out of the dispute with
Mexico.
In addition, Polk vetoed a bill that would have meant large
government appropriations for the Great Lake states to improve
harbors and dredge rivers vital to the region– a move that
angered Polk’s supporters in the old northwest.
It was the beginning of a split in the Democratic Party, which
Van Buren’s defeat years earlier had paved the way to happen
and now the New Yorker, seized an opportunity to expel the Tennessean
from office.
Van Buren and other members of the House had attached the "Wilmot
Proviso" to an important piece of legislation. The proviso
attacked Polk’s annexation policies and enraged the President,
but left him with no choice but to sign in order to preserve
the legislation that was needed. The political maneuvering caused
a bitter dispute between Polk and split the party.
As the Mexican War began to wind down, Polk saw he could not
regain his party’s nomination. Polk submitted another name
for the nomination, but was rebuffed again by Van Buren and
company, who formed another political party called the "Free
Soilers". The new party polled enough votes to defeat Polk’s
hand-picked successor.
Although Polk was responsible for taking America to the Pacific
coast and passing numerous basic laws that would influence the
nation throughout history, he was defeated in the 1849 election.
The Tennessean returned home to Nashville showing the heavy
wear and tear of the office and his administration. Before moving
to the nation’s capitol, he had purchased the home of his
former mentor Felix Grundy and that was where he and Sarah planned
to live out their lives. Only a few months later, however, James
Knox Polk fell prey to a cholera epidemic that was sweeping
the state and, within six months of leaving office, the Tennessee
native passed away.
He was buried in the grounds of the Grundy home in Nashville
with the honors and accolades due the President of the United
States.
Sarah Polk lived out her remaining years in the home. The lady
who loved red, who decorated her house and the White House in
the color was never seen in it again. For the rest of her life,
no one ever saw her in anything but black. During the War Between
the States, both Union and Confederate soldiers considered her
home sacred grounds and never camped or invaded her privacy.
Sarah Childress Polk passed away in 1891 at the age of 88. She
was laid to rest next to her husband.
A couple of years later her body and that of President Polk
were exhumed and laid to rest on the grounds of the Tennessee
Capitol.
His ancestral home in Columbia was eventually turned into a
shrine of the President’s career and became a National
Historic Landmark. The James Polk home is still one of Middle
Tennessee’s most visited attractions.
While Polk’s expansionist policies are his most noted accomplishments,
his domestic policies were just as influential. The Tennessean
was the first big supporter for the creation of the United States
Naval Academy at Annapolis and worked with fellow Tennessean
Matthew Maury in its establishment.
On May 22, 1965, the United States Navy christened a nuclear
submarine as the U.S.S. James K. Polk in honor of the Tennessean
and his contribution to the United States Navy. The ship has
its own web site on the Internet and can be found at www.ssbn645.com.
It gives a brief history of the Tennessee President and background
on the ship named after him.
In addition, Polk also helped to create a national museum that
would go on to become known as the Smithsonian Institution and,
on his last day in office, created an agency that would eventually
become known as the Department of the Interior, which now oversees
all of the United States’ National Parks.
Special thanks for this story has to go to the James K. Polk
Home in Columbia, the White House Historian’s office, and
the United States Navy for their help in locating a photograph
of the U.S.S. James K. Polk.
There are few books on the Tennessean, but his term in office
had an impact that is felt to this day. It was the ending of
what had been known as Tennessee’s political golden age.
An era where the military and political exploits of Tennesseans
determined the fate and destiny of America west of the Appalachians.
While many may question his impact, a few years ago historians
across the nation were polled to pick the "Ten Best Presidents"
in American history. Among the names of Washington, Jefferson,
and other national icons was the name of President James K.
Polk.
"He is the most overlooked because the time in which he
served was one of turmoil and strife for the nation," said
one historian. "When the smoke cleared and historians had
a chance to look back on his career and measure it, they found
a dynamic President who conducted the affairs of state as a
statesman and not a politician."
It was during Polk’s tenure in office that Tennessee received
the official nickname "The Volunteers". When he asked
the Governor to raise 2,800 men for the Mexican War, over 30,000
responded. When they couldn’t admit them all into service,
many joined other state’s militias or rode west to Mexico
to join the units already in the field. There is only one monument
in the state commemorating the first volunteers, but it was
reported last week that the statue in Gallatin is beginning
to crumble away due to nature. Historians there and across the
state are now discussing a way to preserve the monument.
No other President in history has placed in the Federal Statue
books so many and such vital general laws as did the Tennessean.
His efforts to put the country on both coasts led to the change
from nation-states to a centralized administrative government.
The James K. Polk ancestral home is located in downtown Columbia.
The federal style home features numerous artifacts from his
term in office and the Mexican War, including Polk’s inaugural
Bible. There is a small admission charge to the home and gardens.
