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 (1803-91)
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, across Texas and New Mexico to California and even Oregon. 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) |
Presidential SpeechesBelow 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. |
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Miller Center Scholarship and SpeakersThe 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.
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. |
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Scripps Library Reference ResourcesBelow 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. |
Presidential Speeches |
Academic Programs | Public Programs
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Presidential Bibliographies | Presidential Papers |
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Listen to Historians Merrill Peterson, Robert Rutland, William Harbaugh, and Norman Graebner’s 1980 presentation at the Miller Center on