Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 08.djvu/374

 POLK

POLK

He was Federalist governor of Delaware, siicceed- inj; David Hazaird, 1827-30; president of the statf constitutional convention, 1831; a member of the st4ite senate. 1832, and its president in 1836, when by the death of Gov. Caleb P. Bennett, he again became governor and served through that year, lie was made register of wills for Kent county in 1843, and was appointed collector of the port of Wilmington by President Taylor in 1849. He was married to Mary Puruell of Berlin, Ind., and of their sons, William A. Polk was register of wills in Kent county, and Dr. Charles G. Polk was assistant surgeon, U. S. A. Governor Polk died near Mil- ford, Kent county, Del., Oct. 27, 1857.

POLK, James Knox, eleventli president of the United States, was born in Mecklenburg county, N. C Nov. 2, 1795; son of Samuel and Jane (Knox) Polk; grandson of Ezekiel Polk and of Capt. James Knox, an officer in the Continental army during the Revolutionary war; grand- nephew of Col. Thouias Polk (q.v.), and a .de- scendant of Robert Polk (or Pollock), who came from Ross county, Donegal, Ireland, to Maryland about IGGO. James Knox Polk removed with his father in 18U6 to Maury county, Tennessee, and assisted his father on the farm and in land sur- veying. He attended school in Maury county, but ill health caused his removal and he obtained em- ployment in a store. This occupation soon proved distasteful, and after continuing his studies under a private tutor he entered the sophomore class of the University of North Carolina, where he was graduated with the Latin salutatory and high standing in mathematics, A.B., 1818, A.M., 1822. He studied law with Felix Grundy at Nashville, Tenn., 1819- 20, was admitted to the bar at Col- umbia, Tenn., in 1820, and began practice in Columbia, where he attained prominence. He entered politico as a stump-speaker and was chief clerk in the state senate. He was married in 1824 to Sarah Childress (q.v.). He was a Democratic representative in the state legislature, 1823-25, and secured the passage of a law prohibiting duelling in the state. He was a representative from the Duck River district in the 19tli-25th congresses, 1825-39; and his maiden speech in the house was in supjxjrt of the propo.sed amendment to the con- stitution providing for the election of President and Vice-President by popular vote. He op[K)sed the appropriation for the Panama mission, as tend- ing to invite the hostility of Spain, and was placed on the committee of foreign affairs in 1827. He was chairman of the committee to provide for the anticipated distribution of the suri>lus in the U.S. treasury after the payment of the national

debt, and in his report denied the constitutional right of congress to use this surplus for internal improvements and proposed a reduction of the tarilf so as merely to meet the public debt and current expenses. He was a member of the ways and means committee, and as chairman of the committee in 1833 opposed the continuance of the patronage of the government to the Bank of the United States and upon the removal of the national deposits by President Jackson in Oct- ober, lS33, he supported the action of the adminis- tration. He was defeated for speaker of the house in 1834, but was elected in December, 1835, and served until March 4, 1839. He was nomin- ated as the Democratic candidate for governor of the state of Tennessee in 1838, and upon the ex- piration of his term in congress, March 3, 1839, he entered upon the canvass. His opponent, Newton Cannon (q.v.), was then governor, and after a spirited contest, Polk was elected by 2500 major- ity, and was inaugurated, Oct. 14, 1839. He was again a candidate for governor in 1841 and in

1843, but was both times defeated by his Whig opponent, James C. Jones. He was proposed by the legislatures of Tennessee and several other states as a suitable candidate for Vice-President of the United States in 1840. and received one elect- oral vote from Tennessee in 1841. During the controversy in 1844, arising from the proposed admission of the Republic of Texas, formerly claimed as territory of the United States, into the Union as a state, he declared himself in favor of immedi- ate admission, hold- ing that there was danger of the repub- lic becoming a de- pendency of Great Britain, and his course in this mat- ter secured for him the nomination for President by the Demo- cratic national convention at Baltimore. May 27,

1844, with George M. Dallas of Pennsylvania for Vice-President. After an exciting canvas the Democratic electoral ticket received 1,337,243 votes; that for Clay and Frelinghuysen receiving 1.299.068 votes, while the Liberty party ticket. Birney and Morris, received 62.300 popular votes. In the electoral college of 1845 Polk and Dallas received 170 votes to 105 votes for Clay and Fre- linghuysen. He was inaugurated. March 4, 1845, and immediately named his cabinet, composed of James Buchanan of Pennsylvania, secretary of state; Robert J. Walker of Mississippi, secretary