# James K. Polk

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

Canonical: https://diginpl.com/people/james-k-polk
Last updated: 2026-11-05

> 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 ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q11891#P569))
- **Place of birth:** Pineville ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q11891#P19))
- **Died:** 15 June 1849 ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q11891#P570))
- **Place of death:** Nashville ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q11891#P20))
- **Citizenship:** United States ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q11891#P27))
- **Occupation:** politician; lawyer; statesperson; planter class; governor; jurist ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q11891#P106))
- **Political party:** Democratic Party ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q11891#P102))
- **Education:** University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q11891#P69))
- **Spouse:** Sarah Childress Polk ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q11891#P26))
- **Positions held:** 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 ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q11891#P39))

## 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.

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## Sources

- [Wikipedia (English): James K. Polk](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_K._Polk) — [CC BY-SA 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)
- [Wikipedia (Nepali): जेम्स के. पोल्क](https://ne.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E0%A4%9C%E0%A5%87%E0%A4%AE%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%B8_%E0%A4%95%E0%A5%87._%E0%A4%AA%E0%A5%8B%E0%A4%B2%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%95) — [CC BY-SA 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)
- [Wikidata item Q11891](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q11891) — [CC0 1.0](https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/)
- [Image: James K. Polk restored (3x4 cropped).jpg by James_Polk.jpg : Brady, Mathew B., 1823 (ca.)-1896, photographer. derivative work: Superwikifan ( talk ) (Public domain)](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:James_K._Polk_restored_(3x4_cropped).jpg)

## Licence and attribution

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.

## Cite this page

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