On this day in 1795, 11th president James Polk was born in Pineville, North Carolina
November 2
An event every year that begins at 12:00 am on day 2 of November, repeating indefinitely
On this day in 1795, 11th president James Polk was born in Pineville, North Carolina. The last of the Jacksonians, his administration was marked by “Manifest Destiny” expansionist policies and the Mexican-American War. Under Polk, much of the current continental United States was attained, setting the stage for increased tension over the expansion of slavery westward.
Did you know? Polk was strait-laced. A workaholic, he was in the office 12 hours a day and during his single 4-year term he only took 27 days off. During his term, alcohol and dancing were banned from the White House. Politician Sam Houston supposedly called Polk a “victim of the use of water as a beverage.”
Two days a week, the White House hosted open “office hours” in which anyone could stop by and express their concerns. Polk disliked job-seekers the worst during these hours, much preferring the company of his Whig opponents.
James Knox Polk, George Peter Alexander Healy, 1846
