James K. Polk: the record and the legends

Young Hickory. The 11th president, 1845-1849, from Tennessee. Every story here is tagged Record, meaning it’s documented, or Legend, meaning it gets told a lot and doesn’t hold up. Each one links to its source.

President: 11th
In office: 1845-1849
Home state: Tennessee
Party: Democratic
Height: 5'8"

The record

RecordAs president, Polk worked about 17 hours a day and took roughly 27 days of vacation in four years. His own Treasury Secretary, James Buchanan, called him the most laborious man he'd ever known.Source: White House Historical Association, Comfort in My Retirement
RecordPolk was a sickly kid. At about 16 he had surgery in Kentucky to remove a stone, in the days before anesthesia. He came through fine, his health got better, and only then did he start real school.Source: Miller Center, Polk: Life Before the Presidency
RecordPolk was the first dark horse: nobody picked him going into the 1844 convention, and he won the nomination on the ninth ballot. The Whigs' favorite line all year was Who is James K. Polk?Source: Miller Center, Polk: Campaigns and Elections
RecordPolk ran on four goals and a promise to serve one term: lower the tariff, bring back the independent treasury, settle Oregon and get California. He did all four, then went home.Source: Miller Center, Polk: Impact and Legacy

The legends

LegendYou'll hear that Polk worked himself to death. His schedule was brutal, but that's not the record. He left office healthy enough for a long tour of the South, caught cholera on the way, and was gone about three months after leaving office.Source: James K. Polk Home, The Death of James K. Polk

What he cared about

Expanding the country west: Oregon to the 49th parallel, and California and New Mexico through war with Mexico.
A lower tariff. He signed the Walker Tariff in 1846.
Keeping federal money out of private banks with an independent treasury.

The full record

Polk enslaved people on his plantations his whole adult life, opposed banning slavery in land taken from Mexico, and wrote a will that freed them only after his wife's death.

How he fights in POTUS KO

Frail kid, 17-hour workdays

Polk was never the strongest man in the room, but he outworked everyone in it and checked off every promise. In the ring he stays patient and uses your strength against you.

See POTUS KO

Questions about James K. Polk

Did James K. Polk work himself to death?

You'll hear that Polk worked himself to death. His schedule was brutal, but that's not the record. He left office healthy enough for a long tour of the South, caught cholera on the way, and was gone about three months after leaving office.

Why was James K. Polk called a dark horse?

Polk was the first dark horse: nobody picked him going into the 1844 convention, and he won the nomination on the ninth ballot. The Whigs' favorite line all year was Who is James K. Polk?

Did James K. Polk keep his campaign promises?

Polk ran on four goals and a promise to serve one term: lower the tariff, bring back the independent treasury, settle Oregon and get California. He did all four, then went home.