When was James K. Polk born?

James K. Polk was born on 2 November 1795 in Pineville.

What positions has James K. Polk held?

Positions held by James K. Polk include: President of the United States (1845–1849); President-elect of the United States (1844–1845); Governor of Tennessee (1839–1841); Speaker of the United States House of Representatives (1835–1839); United States representative (1833–1839).

Where did James K. Polk study?

James K. Polk was educated at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

James_Polk.jpg : Brady, Mathew B., 1823 (ca.)-1896… · Public domain

Suggest a better photo · Report

James K. Polk

जेम्स के. पोल्क

President of the United States from 1845 to 1849 (1795–1849)

नेपालीमा पढ्नुहोस् · हिंदी में पढ़ें

नेपाली · English · हिंदीRead in your language
CitedEvery fact sourced
Ad-freeNo ads, no tracking

James Knox Polk (; November 2, 1795 – June 15, 1849) was the 11th president of the United States, serving from 1845 to 1849. A protégé of Andrew Jackson and a member of the Democratic Party, he was an advocate of American expansionism and Jacksonian democracy. Polk saw Texas join the Union in his first year in office; the annexation of the formerly independent republic, which had declared independence from Mexico, was one of the precipitating causes that soon led the U.S. into the Mexican–American War. The settlement of that war expanded American territory to the Pacific Ocean. During his term, the dispute with the United Kingdom over the Oregon Territory was resolved as well, creating the present U.S.-Canadian border.

Quick facts

Born: 2 November 1795 wd
Place of birth: Pineville wd
Died: 15 June 1849 wd
Place of death: Nashville wd
Citizenship: United States wd
Occupation: politician, lawyer, statesperson, planter class, governor, jurist wd
Political party: Democratic Party wd
Education: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill wd
Spouse: Sarah Childress Polk wd

Positions held wd

President of the United States (4 March 1845 – 4 March 1849)
President-elect of the United States (1844–1845)
Governor of Tennessee (14 October 1839 – 15 October 1841)
Speaker of the United States House of Representatives (7 December 1835 – 4 March 1839)
United States representative (4 March 1833 – 4 March 1839)
United States representative (4 March 1825 – 4 March 1833)
member of the Tennessee House of Representatives (1823–1825)
president

About

After building a successful law practice in Tennessee, Polk was elected to its state legislature in 1823 and then to the United States House of Representatives in 1825, becoming a strong supporter of Jackson. Following his tenure as chairman of the Ways and Means Committee, he became Speaker of the House in 1835, the only person to serve both as Speaker and U.S. president. Polk left Congress to run for governor of Tennessee, winning in 1839 but losing in 1841 and 1843. He was a dark-horse candidate in the 1844 presidential election as the Democratic Party nominee. Polk entered his party's convention as a potential nominee for vice president but emerged as a compromise to head the ticket when no presidential candidate could gain the necessary two-thirds majority. In the general election, he narrowly defeated Henry Clay of the Whig Party and pledged to serve only one term.

After a negotiation fraught with the risk of war, Polk reached a settlement with Great Britain over the disputed Oregon Country, with the territory for the most part divided along the 49th parallel. He oversaw U.S. victory in the Mexican–American War, resulting in Mexico's cession of…

Questions

When was James K. Polk born?: James K. Polk was born on 2 November 1795 in Pineville.
What positions has James K. Polk held?: Positions held by James K. Polk include: President of the United States (1845–1849); President-elect of the United States (1844–1845); Governor of Tennessee (1839–1841); Speaker of the United States House of Representatives (1835–1839); United States representative (1833–1839).
Where did James K. Polk study?: James K. Polk was educated at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Sources

Last updated 5 November 2026 · facts checked 7 November 2026

Cite this page

"James K. Polk". DigiNepal. Last updated 5 November 2026. https://diginpl.com/people/james-k-polk. Retrieved 7 November 2026.

Machine-readable versions: JSON · Markdown

Text from the Wikipedia article James K. Polk, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. This page's text is shared under the same licence. Facts from Wikidata (CC0). Image: James K. Polk restored (3x4 cropped).jpg — James_Polk.jpg : Brady, Mathew B., 1823 (ca.)-1896, photographer. derivative work: Superwikifan ( talk ), Public domain.

Is this you, or do you work in this person's office? Claim this profile