Image: James Knox Polk by George Peter Alexander Healy (National Portrait Gallery)

Description: Object number: L/NPG.41.2006 Exhibition label: It is often said that James K. Polk was the first "dark horse" to claim a presidential nomination, and during his White House campaign of 1844, his opponents were fond of sneering, "Who is James Polk?" Once he was in office, however, the question quickly lost its sarcastic bite. A diligent worker who abhorred the thought of time unprofitably spent, Polk set four goals for his presidency-reducing tariffs, creating an independent treasury system, settling the Oregon boundary dispute with Great Britain, and acquiring California. None of the four objectives was easily reached, and gaining California meant going to war with Mexico. By his administration's close, however, all had been accomplished. Unfortunately, Polk's success came at great personal cost. A spent man, he died within four months of retiring to private life. Eleventh president, 1845–1849 The life and career of James K. Polk reflected the country’s westward shift. His path followed the frontier as he moved from his birthplace in North Carolina to Tennessee. Polk, like most Americans in the nineteenth century, favored westward expansion and believed that settlers were destined to move across North America. As president, he acquired more than a million square miles of territory for the United States, in part by fomenting the Mexican-American War. As one of the most consequential presidents in American history, the vast expansion of territory opened up the question of slavery’s future, an issue that sparked conflict during the period leading up to the Civil War. Driven and determined, Polk took office with a limited agenda, accomplished all of it, and left office, as he planned, after only one term.
Title: James Knox Polk by George Peter Alexander Healy (National Portrait Gallery)
Credit: Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery
Author: George Peter Alexander Healy
Permission: This is a faithful photographic reproduction of a two-dimensional, public domain work of art. The work of art itself is in the public domain for the following reason: Public domainPublic domainfalsefalse The author died in 1894, so this work is in the public domain in its country of origin and other countries and areas where the copyright term is the author's life plus 100 years or fewer. This work is in the public domain in the United States because it was published (or registered with the U.S. Copyright Office) before January 1, 1927. This file has been identified as being free of known restrictions under copyright law, including all related and neighboring rights. https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/PDMCreative Commons Public Domain Mark 1.0falsefalse The official position taken by the Wikimedia Foundation is that "faithful reproductions of two-dimensional public domain works of art are public domain". This photographic reproduction is therefore also considered to be in the public domain in the United States. In other jurisdictions, re-use of this content may be restricted; see Reuse of PD-Art photographs for details.
Usage Terms: Public domain
License: Public domain
Attribution Required?: No