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11 - James K. Polk

Personal Statistics:

Birth Date: November 2, 1795

Birthplace: Family farm, Mecklenburg County, North Carolina

Father: Samuel Polk (1772-1827)

Mother: Jane Knox (1776-1852)

Height at Prime: Just under medium height

Physical Description: Erect in bearing, deep-set gray eyes, prominent forehead, large nose, long, straight black hair

Religion: Presbyterian and Methodist

Wife: Sarah Childress (September 4, 1803 – August 14, 1891)

Marriage Date: January 1, 1824

Marriage Place: Plantation home of bride’s parents, near Murfreesboro, Tennessee

Children: No natural children

Death Date: June 15, 1849

Place of Death: Polk Place, Nashville, Tennessee

Cause of Death: Cholera resulting in debilitating diarrhea and dehydration

Final Words: “I love you, Sarah, for all eternity, I love you.”

1st Buried: A common cemetery in Nashville, Tennessee due to fears of spreading cholera

2nd Buried: Polk Place, Nashville, Tennessee

3rd Buried: Grounds of the State Capital, Nashville, Tennessee

Professional Statistics:

Captain of a militia cavalry regiment, later rising to colonel

U.S. Representative (1825-1839); Speaker of the House (1835-1839)

Governor of Tennessee (1839-1841)

11th President of the United States (1845-1849)

Political Party: Democrat

His Vice President: George Mifflin Dallas (1845-1849)

Events During Presidency:

Texas admitted to Union (1845)

Iowa admitted to Union (1846)

Oregon Treaty (1846)

Mexican War (1846-1848)

Walker Tariff (1846)

Independent Treasury Act (1846)

Wisconsin admitted to Union (1848)


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