James K. Polk
(1795 - 1849)
| Timeline |
| 1795 |
Born 2 November in North Carolina |
| 1806 |
Family moves to Tennessee |
| 1813 |
Attends local religious school
|
| 1815 |
Admitted to the University of North Carolina as a sophomore
|
| 1818 |
Graduates from University of North Carolina
|
| 1819 |
Studies under renowned Nashville trial attorney Felix Grundy
|
| 1820 |
Admitted to the bar
|
| 1821 |
Appointed Chief Clerk of the Senate of Tennessee
|
| 1822 |
Defeats an incumbent for a seat in the Tennessee Legislature
|
| 1824 |
Marries Sarah Childress on 1 January; elected to the U.S. Congress
|
| 1835 |
Serves two terms as Speaker of the House
|
| 1839 |
Elected governor
|
| 1841 |
Fails to be re-elected governor |
| 1843 |
Again fails to be re-elected governor |
| 1844 |
Defeats Henry Clay in the Presidential election
|
| 1846 |
May, Sends declaration of war to Congress; the Walker Tariff Act and the Treasury Act pass Congress; Oregon Treaty |
| 1848 |
Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo
|
| 1849 |
Returns to Tennessee in March, 1849; dies 15 June of cholera
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