James Polk
Born	November 2, 1795
Died	June 15, 1849
Home State	North Carolina
Political Parties	Democratic

James K. Polk was the 11th president of the United States. Before becoming president, Polk was a big fan of Andrew Jackson. He served as the Speaker of the House from 1835 to 1839. After that, he became the Governor of Tennessee, but uh... Well...

In 1844, Polk surprised everyone when he became the Democratic nominee for president. In an extremely close election, Polk defeated Henry Clay, and he promised to annex Texas and settle the Oregon boundary dispute with Britain. He did both of those things, and after war broke out with Mexico, the United States ended up receiving a truly massive amount of territory. It's a wonder more Americans don't know about James Polk.

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