James K. Polk, 11th U.S. President

James K. Polk, 11th U.S. President

James Knox Polk (November 2, 1795 - June 15, 1849) was the 11th President of the United States (1845-1849). A Democrat, Polk served as the 17th Speaker of the House of Representatives (1835-1839) and Governor of Tennessee (1839-1841). He was the dark horse candidate for president in 1844, defeating Henry Clay of the rival Whig Party by promising to annex Texas. He was the last strong pre-Civil War president, and he is the earliest of whom there are surviving photographs taken during a term in office. He is noted for his foreign policy successes. He threatened war with Britain over the issue of which nation owned the Oregon Country. When Mexico rejected American annexation of Texas, he led the nation to a sweeping victory in the Mexican-American War, which gave the United States most of its present Southwest. He secured passage of the Walker tariff of 1846, which had low rates that pleased his native South, and he established a treasury system that lasted until 1913. He oversaw the opening of the US Naval Academy and the Smithsonian Institution, the groundbreaking for the Washington Monument, and the issuance of the first postage stamps in the US. He promised to serve only one term and did not run for reelection. He died of cholera three months after his term ended at the age of 53. Scholars have ranked him favorably on the list of greatest presidents for his ability to set an agenda and achieve all of it. Polk has been called the "least known consequential president" of the United States.

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