James Knox Polk was born on November 2, 1795 in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina. His father was Samuel Polk and his mother was Jane Knox Polk. He was a graduate (with honors) of the University of North Carolina and he served as our nation’s 11^th President from March 4, 1845 to March 3, 1849.

     Mr. Polk was a lawyer. He served as a Member of the Tennessee House of Representatives and the U.S. House of Representatives. He was Speaker of the House from 1835–1839 and then went on to become Governor of Tennessee.

     James Polk married Sarah Childress in 1824. They had no children. Mrs. Polk hosted the first annual Thanksgiving Dinner at The White House. She was very religious, so she banned dancing, card playing and alcohol from The White House.  Mr. Polk, at 17, survived gallstone surgery. That operation was performed without either anesthesia or antiseptics, as medical doctors had not yet begun using them. As our President, Mr. Polk added vast territories in the West to the United States. To enforce U.S. demands for the acquisition of territory, Polk sent General Zachary Taylor’s army to the Rio Grande River. The Mexicans attacked and, soon after, Congress declared war on Mexico. The U.S. thus acquired California and the New Mexico Territory.

     President James Knox Polk died on June 15, 1849 in Nashville, Tennessee… only two months after leaving office.