![]() ![]() His mother Jane named him after her father, James Knox. He was the first of 10 children born into a family of farmers. James Knox Polk was born on November 2, 1795, in a log cabin in Pineville, North Carolina. ![]() Polk Historic Site Reconstruction of the log cabin in Pineville, North Carolina where Polk was born a nation poised to become a world power, but with divisions between free and slave states gravely exacerbated, setting the stage for the Civil War.įurther information: President James K. Polk's policy of territorial expansion saw the nation reach the Pacific coast and almost all its contiguous borders. A property owner who used slave labor, he kept a plantation in Mississippi and increased his slave ownership during his presidency. He has also been criticized for leading the country into a war with Mexico that exacerbated sectional divides. Though he is relatively obscure today, scholars have ranked Polk favorably for his ability to promote and achieve the major items on his presidential agenda. presidents to make and keep such a pledge), Polk left office in 1849 and returned to Tennessee, where he died of cholera three months after leaving the White House. True to his campaign pledge to serve only one term (one of the few U.S. The same year, he achieved his other major goal, reestablishment of the Independent Treasury system. He secured a substantial reduction of tariff rates with the Walker tariff of 1846. He won the Mexican–American War, resulting in Mexico's cession of the entire American Southwest. In the general election, Polk defeated Henry Clay of the Whig Party.Īfter a negotiation fraught with the risk of war, Polk reached a settlement with Great Britain over the disputed Oregon Country, with the territory for the most part divided along the 49th parallel. He was a dark-horse candidate in the 1844 presidential election as the Democratic Party nominee he entered his party's convention as a potential nominee for vice president but emerged as a compromise to head the ticket when no presidential candidate could gain the necessary two-thirds majority. Polk left Congress to run for governor of Tennessee, winning in 1839 but losing in 18. After serving as chairman of the Ways and Means Committee, he became Speaker of the House in 1835, the only person to serve both as Speaker and U.S. expanded significantly, annexing the Republic of Texas, the Oregon Territory, and the Mexican Cession after winning the Mexican–American War.Īfter building a successful law practice in Tennessee, Polk was elected to its state legislature in 1823 and then to the United States House of Representatives in 1825, becoming a strong supporter of Jackson. Polk is known for extending the territory of the United States through the Mexican–American War during his presidency, the U.S. A protégé of Andrew Jackson, he was a member of the Democratic Party and an advocate of Jacksonian democracy. ![]() Before he became president, Polk served as the 13th speaker of the House of Representatives (1835–1839) and ninth governor of Tennessee (1839–1841). If this aspect of the story doesn't turn you off, you'll likely find this to be an enjoyable episode showcasing an investigation of corruption in the sports industry and a possible murder.James Knox Polk (Novem– June 15, 1849) was the 11th president of the United States, serving from 1845 to 1849. While there is a decent enough mystery featured in this episode along with some very talented guest stars (Moses Gunn, Nehemiah Persoff), I'm not a fan of the boxing sport in general which this story was centered around and therefore could not get that interested in it. When Quincy learns that large bets were placed on Luke's underdog opponent in the match, he suspects that the fight was fixed and this was a factor in Luke's death. Quincy performs the autopsy and concludes that Luke died of massive head injuries and brain damage which amount to natural causes under the circumstances, but allegations of foul play from Luke's widow convince Quincy to investigate further. Quincy (Jack Klugman) loses money when the heavily favored contender, Luke Stokes (Rodney Hoston), is knocked out in the ring and later he is called to the sports stadium after the boxer collapses and dies. A Blow to the Head.A Blow to the Heart begins at Danny's restaurant with everyone watching a much hyped boxing match on television. ![]()
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