James K. Polk

**James Knox Polk** was an American politician who served as the 11th president of the United States. He is a playable character in two Campaign Trail scenarios, 1844 and 1844b.

## Description

"James K. Polk won the Democratic nomination as a dark horse candidate, after Martin Van Buren was rejected for being soft on the Texas issue. He is a former Speaker of the House, and also served as Governor of Tennessee. Polk's support is strongest in the South, but he must hold some Northern states to win. To do this, he could exploit the Oregon issue, fond memories of Andrew Jackson, and the emerging Catholic vote. Note that John Tyler has yet to formally renounce his independent bid." - *The Campaign Trail by Dan Bryan*

## Biography

### Backstory

James Knox Polk was born on November 2, 1795 to Samuel and Jane Polk in a log cabin in Pineville, North Carolina. His father was a farmer and his family was of Ulster-Scots Irish heritage. Polk's mother was a devout Presbyterian, but the local Presbyterian minister refused to baptize James due to his father being a Deist. In 1806, Polk moved with his family to Tennessee. Polk was a sickly child and at age 17 underwent a painful operation to remove urinary stones with no anesthetic. Polk's father became involved in local politics as a staunch Democratic-Republican and befriended Andrew Jackson.

Polk graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1818 and went to Nashville to study law under Felix Grundy and was admitted to the bar in 1820, defending his father in his first case. He was elected to the Tennessee House of Representatives in 1823 and in 1824 married Sarah Childress, who was better educated than most women of the time. Polk broke with Grundy over political differences and became a protégé of his old family friend Andrew Jackson, whom Polk supported for the presidency in 1824. Polk would come to be known as "Young Hickory", after Jackson's nickname of "Old Hickory".

Polk ran for the U.S. House of Representatives in 1824 and won. In the House, he became a staunch Jacksonian and advised Jackson's successful 1828 presidential campaign. Polk was an influential congressman. In 1833, he became chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee and in 1835 defeated John Bell to become Speaker of the House. Due to the Panic of 1837, Polk saw decided not to seek reelection in 1839 and instead ran for Tennessee's governorship against Whig incumbent Newton Cannon. Polk won the debates against Cannon and was elected governor.

Polk was considered to be a running mate for president Martin Van Buren in 1840 due to incumbent vice president Richard Johnson's biracial common law marriage. However, ultimately, the Democratic convention chose not to make a nomination for vice president. Polk ran for reelection as governor in 1841 against Whig James C. Jones, who took a joking tone to his campaign and defeated Polk. Polk sought a rematch in 1843 but was once again defeated.

In 1844, Polk sought to become the running mate of former president Martin Van Buren, the frontrunner for the Democratic nomination. However, Van Buren's opposition to the annexation of the Republic of Texas, the central issue of the election, greatly hurting his candidacy and losing him the support of Andrew Jackson. Jackson began to view Polk as a viable candidate and met with Polk. Polk was surprised and skeptical but agreed to run. At the convention, Van Buren could not gain the required majority of the delegates and Polk's name was placed before the convention by George Bancroft.

### 1844

Polk was nominated by the Democrats to run against anti-annexation Whig Henry Clay as the first dark horse presidential nominee. Polk exploited the issue of the Texas annexation, which he strongly opposed while Clay took a more equivocal tone. Polk was also able to avert the potential issue of a third party candidacy from incumbent president John Tyler by promising to keep certain appointments of his. To keep northerners satisfied, he ran as an economic moderate, supporting an independent Treasury and finessing his position on tariffs by saying that while tariffs should be mostly for revenue, a small amount of protection was acceptable. He also promised not to run for reelection. Polk was also able to win over Irish immigrants in the swing states of New York and Pennsylvania by pointing out the nativism of Clay's running mate, Theodore Frelinghuysen. Polk would be elected president with 170 electoral votes to Clay's 105. As president, he confirmed the annexation of Texas and pushed for the expansion of the United States in Oregon and Mexico.

### 1844b

Polk's appearance in 1844b is almost identical to 1844. However, this time, John Tyler is not convinced by Polk to withdraw from the race. This hurts Polk as Tyler takes his home state of Virginia from Polk and nationally splits the pro-Texas vote. Polk is also asked if he supports slavery. If he comes out against it, then he will be hurt in the South, and the South Carolina state legislature will decide to back Tyler instead of him. Polk can also end up losing Alabama, Arkansas, and Mississippi to Tyler.

### 1844c

Polk appears in 1844c, appearing through a political cartoon in the banner at the beginning of the game. His name also appears on the polling map as he is one of the two major candidates of the 1844 election, the other being Henry Clay. In most cases, Polk wins the election, usually in a landslide and if he wins, his picture will appear in the ending.

### 1848b

Polk is mentioned in 1848b, as he is the incumbent president at the time of the election. It is mentioned how he, in keeping with his campaign promise, declined to run for reelection, as well as his actions during his presidency, namely the annexation of Texas and the Mexican-American War. Polk's Walker Tariff, which lowered tariffs, the independent Treasury, the Oregon treaty, and a recession starting in 1847 are also brought up as campaign issues.

## Personality and beliefs

Polk has been noted for his hard-working and determined nature, basically being the only U.S. president to achieve all his campaign promises. Despite not being baptized, his mother raised him with Presbyterian values. At the age of 38 he had a conversion experience at a Methodist camp meeting. He continued to attend Presbyterian services with his wife but was baptized a Methodist on his deathbed by Reverend John B. McFerrin. Devoutly religious, Polk had a serious and pious nature, which he contrasted with Henry Clay's hedonism during the 1844 election. A teetotaler, alcohol and dancing were banned from the Polk White House and he is only one of two presidents (the other being Donald Trump) not to keep any pets while in office. He was fluent in both Greek and Latin as a result of his education.

Politically, Polk was a staunch Jacksonian Democrat, being a friend and protégé of Andrew Jackson. He was also a staunch expansionist, believing firmly in the concept of manifest destiny, a position that helped him win the Democratic nomination and the presidency in 1844. His presidency saw the annexation of Texas and new territories from Mexico as well as the settling of the Oregon boundary dispute. He opposed internal improvements and protective tariffs, although he moderated his stance on the issue during the 1844 election, supporting them in limited cases. He also strongly advocated for an independent Treasury following the Panic of 1837. Polk supported slavery, owning a total of 56 slaves during his lifetime. However, he provided for the freeing of his slaves after the death of his wife, Sarah, in his will.

## Trivia

* Polk is the earliest serving U.S. president to appear in the original American History USA game
* He has been considered by some to be an underrated president. However, he has also been criticized for his actions relating to the Mexican-American War and slavery

## Quotes

* **"We must annex Texas as soon as practicable."**
* **"I don't support an Amendment on this issue, but I will personally promise not to run for reelection."** - when asked about term limits for the presidency
* **"The primary purpose of our tariffs should be revenue. But should a small amount of protection *incidentally* occur from our tariff policy, that is acceptable."** - possible response for a question about tariffs
* **"We must rescind this tariff and replace it with something much lower. I support free trade and low tariffs."** - possible response for a question about tariffs
* **"The prospect of war with a backwards country such as Mexico should play no part in our calculations."**
* **"The Democratic Party is a friend of the working-class, and of immigrants from abroad. We denounce the vile bigotry of the Whig Party, as evidenced by Frelinghuysen."** - when asked about the presence of Theodore Frelinghuysen on the Whig ticket
* **"I'm a personal friend of Andrew Jackson, and have repeatedly taken advice from him throughout my political career. I'm proud of this and believe it to be an asset in this campaign."**
* **"The creation of an independent Treasury will be one of the key initiatives of my presidency."**
* **"I believe that the United States, in line with the "Manifest Destiny" ideal, should expand wherever feasible."**
* **"We need to be just as aggressive on this issue as we are anywhere else. "Fifty-four Forty or Fight!" "** - when asked about the Oregon boundary

## Appearances

### As playable character

* 1844
* 1844b

### Mentioned

* 1844c
* 1848b