James Knox Polk (1795-1849) was the eleventh President of the United States, serving from 1845 to 1849. Polk was born in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, but mostly lived in and represented the state of Tennessee. A Democrat, Polk served as Speaker of the House (1835-1839) and Governor of Tennessee (1839-1841) prior to becoming president. A firm supporter of Andrew Jackson, Polk was the last "strong" pre-American Civil War president. Polk is noted...