Here are some quick facts, opinions, quotes and other information on President James K. Polk.
Personal Information on James K. Polk:
- Eleven (1845-1849)
- Birthday: November 2, 1795 (Monday)
- Birthplace: Pineville, North Carolina
- Birthplace Website: President James K. Polk’s Birthplace
- Zodiac Sign: Scorpio
- Date of Death: June 15, 1849 (Friday)
- Place of Death: Nashville, Tennessee
- Place of Burial: Tennessee State Capitol, Nashville, Tennessee
- Burial Website: Polk’s graves
- Cause of Death: Cholera
- Age: 53 years old
- Length of Retirement: 103 days
Interesting James K. Polk facts:
- James K. Polk was the third youngest President to die. Only John F. Kennedy and James Garfield were younger. He was only 53 years old when he died. He is the youngest non-assassinated President to die. Other than the Presidents who died in office, he had the shortest retirement after his Presidency. He died 103 days after he left office.
- Polk was a rather sickly child. He was home schooled because his health was an issue and it made his attendance sporadic, at best. He had chronic abdominal pains. When he was almost seventeen years old, his father decided to send him to a doctor in Philadelphia. The bumping along the road made the pain worse and they had to stop in Danville, Kentucky where they had to let a Dr. Ephraim McDowell perform surgery for what was diagnosed as an urinary stone. These were the days before anesthetics or proper Antiseptic agents were used and he was awake during most of the surgery. Some wonder if the aggressive method of surgery might have made him sterile. He and his wife never had any children.
- In the election of 1844, Polk just wanted to be the Vice Presidential nominee. The leading candidate was Martin Van Buren, who was trying to redeem himself after he lost to William Henry Harrison in his reelection bid in 1840. Many Democrats did not like Van Buren and they were successful in getting a 2/3 delegate rule (a candidate needed to reach 2/3 of the delegates before he could claim the nomination). They knew at least 1/3 of the delegates would never vote for Van Buren and that doomed his chances to claim the nomination. The convention settled on Polk on the ninth ballot and he went on to beat Henry Clay for the Presidency.
My favorite James K. Polk Quotes:
I prefer to supervise the whole operations of Government myself rather than entrust the public business to subordinates and this makes my duties very great.
With me it is exceptionally true that the Presidency is no bed of roses.
Foreign powers do not seem to appreciate the true character of our government.
Peace, plenty, and contentment reign throughout our borders, and our beloved country presents a sublime moral spectacle to the world.
It becomes us in humility to make our devout acknowledgments to the Supreme Ruler of the Universe for the inestimable civil and religious blessings with which we are favored.
James K. Polk blogs (click the title to go to that page):
James K. Polk page on Presidential Crossroads (click “James K Polk” below):
James K Polk
James K. Polk Blogs:
What similiar trait do I have with Presidents Polk to Hayes
Personal thoughts on James K. Polk:
Strengths:
Strong work ethic, Integrity, Determination, Focused, Belief that God was strongly supportive of our nation
Weaknesses:
Did not like to delegate, Sometimes a little overly concerned about the opposition
Presidential Greatness Scale (1-poor to 5-great): 4.5
Comments:
Harry Truman said James K. Polk was “… a great President. Said what he intended to do and did it.” I think that is exactly why I rated him so high. He set goals, clearly stated them and achieved them. Some may argue that he unfairly took advantage of a weaker nation, Mexico, but he was able to increase the size of our nation by one third. We literally became a nation from the Atlantic to the Pacific under his watch. He would not delegate much of the work to his cabinet and many attribute that to a poor health that lead to a weakened physical state that probably didn’t help him fight off the Cholera that killed him shortly after he left office.
Favorite James K. Polk book:
Polk – The Man Who Transformed the Presidency by Walter R. Boreman
Favorite James K. Polk story:
My favorite James K. Polk story is about his character. He promised he would only serve one term and that is all he served. He didn’t just sit around being a lame duck President either. He set four clear goals in front of the American people that he wanted to accomplish, and he accomplished them. Can you say Manifest Destiny?
Most memorable James K. Polk memory:
When I took my son to see his birthplace just outside of Charlotte, North Carolina.
Favorite James K. Polk possession (see picture at the top):
A t-shirt I got from that trip to his birthplace, even if it does have some holes in it.
