An Overview of James Knox Polk's Administration

SKC Films Library >> James Knox Polk's Administration

An Overview of James Polk's Administration

Often referred to as the first "dark horse" President, James Knox Polk was the last of the Jacksonians to sit in the White House. A supporter of Andrew Jackson in his war with the Bank of the United States, that support earned him an unexpected nomination for President at the 1844 Democratic National Convention, at which Polk was expected to, at best, become the vice-presidential candidate.

As President, James Knox Polk successfully directed the Mexican War, which won enough Western territory to form nine states. He carried out every item of his political program, making him the most successful President since George Washington. All was not entirely well during his term, however. Reformers called attention to the hardships of children working in factories and to the poverty of immigrants, and slavery rested uneasily in the thoughts of many Americans. To the relief of his own party, he did not seek a second term.

White House portrait of James Knox Polk

Election of 1844
Candidate James Knox Polk Henry Clay	Popular Vote 1,338,464 1,300,097	Electoral Vote 170 105

Vice-President and Cabinet
Vice-President	George M. Dallas
Secretary of State	James Buchanan
Secretary of the Treasury	Robert J. Walker
Secretary of War	William L. Marcy
Attorney General	John Y. Mason Nathan Clifford (1846) Isaac Toucey (1848)
Postmaster General	Cave Johnson
Secretary of the Navy	George Bancroft John Y. Mason (1846)

U.S. Events During His Administration
States Admitted Texas (1845), Iowa (1846), Wisconsin (1848) Territories Organized Oregon (1848), Minnesota (1849) Population in 1849 22,700,000
1845	The U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis was established.
1846-1848	The Mexican War ended in a U.S. victory and annexation of land from Mexico.
1846	Congress passed the Walker Tariff.
1846	Congress passed the Independent Treasury Act.
1846	The Oregon Treaty with Great Britain established the boundary between the Oregon Territory and Canada at the 49th Parallel.
1846	Elias Howe patented the sewing machine.
1847	The first U.S. postage stamps, picturing George Washington and Benjamin Franklin, were issued.
1848	Gold was discovered in California.
1849	The Department of the Interior was established.

World Events During His Administration
1845-1847	A potato famine swept through Ireland.
1847	Liberia became the first Negro republic in Africa.
1848	Marx and Engels issued The Communist Manifesto.
1848	Revolutions flared in France, Germany, and Italy.

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SKC Films Library >> James Knox Polk's Administration

This page was last updated on August 30, 2018.