James K. Polk
1795 – 1849 American 11th President of the United States
Eleventh U.S. president who expanded the nation to the Pacific.
- Religion
- Methodist (raised Presbyterian)
- Affiliations
- Democratic Party; a documented Freemason (Columbia Lodge, Tennessee).
Polk led the country through the Mexican-American War, gaining California and the Southwest. He settled the Oregon boundary with Britain and lowered tariffs. He fulfilled his major goals in a single term and did not seek reelection.
In the timeline
- 1847 Smithsonian Castle Cornerstone Ceremony mentioned
- 1848 Washington Monument Cornerstone Laid mentioned