Franklin H. Elmore, Polk's Public Advisor, quickly took hold of the situation in Charleston, persuading McDuffie and his followers that Polk was " a southern man – a friend of free trade.

Gen. Beauregard arrived at Johnston's headquarters at Bowling Green on February 4, 1862 and was given overall command of Polk's force at the western end of Johnston's line at Columbus, Kentucky.

Outgoing President James Polk's term ended at noon on March 4, which was a Sunday.

The highest-ranking official whose term unquestionably continued during the interim was Polk's Secretary of State, James Buchanan ( later elected President himself in 1856 ), whose term did not formally expire until his successor, John M. Clayton, took office on March 7.

Polk's practice was successful as there were many cases arising from debts after the Panic of 1819.

During the campaign, Polk's opponents said that at the age of 29 Polk was too young for a spot in the House, but he won the election and took his seat in Congress.

Polk's Whig opponent in the 1844 presidential election was Henry Clay of Kentucky.

Also contributing to Polk's victory was the support of new immigrant voters, who opposed the Whigs ' policies.

William Dusinberre has argued that Polk's diary, which he kept during his presidency, was written for later publication, and does not represent Polk's policy.

One of Polk's last acts as President was to sign the bill creating the Department of the Interior ( March 3, 1849 ).

He declared the movement of American forces to the Rio Grande at President Polk's command ' was contrary to the laws of this country, a usurpation on the rights of this House, and an aggression on the rights of Mexico.

In 1845, in recognition for his support at the previous Democratic convention, he entered Polk's cabinet as Secretary of the Navy, serving until 1846, when for a month he was acting Secretary of War.

It was Polk's uncompromising support for expansion into Texas and relative silence on the Oregon boundary dispute that led to the phrase " Fifty-Four Forty or Fight!

It was used at James Polk's inauguration, whereafter it became a mainstay to announce the arrival of the president ; William Seale says, " Polk was not an impressive figure, so some announcement was necessary to avoid the embarrassment of his entering a crowded room unnoticed.

He sided with President Andrew Jackson on the question of nullification ; was an efficient supporter of President James K. Polk's administration during the Mexican-American War ; and was an ardent advocate of slavery extension into the territories, but when the Compromise of 1850 had been agreed upon, he became its staunch supporter as a Union Democrat.

He committed one of the great blunders of the Civil War by dispatching troops to occupy Columbus, Kentucky, in September 1861 ; the critical border state of Kentucky had declared its neutrality between the Union and the Confederacy, but Polk's action was instrumental in prompting the Kentucky legislature to request Federal aid to resist his advance, ending the state's brief attempt at neutrality and effectively ceding it to Union control for the remainder of the war.

At the Battle of Perryville, Polk's right wing constituted the main attacking force against Maj. Gen. Don Carlos Buell's Army of the Ohio, but Polk was reluctant to attack the small portion of Buell's army that faced him until Bragg arrived at the battlefield.

He was infuriated when Polk's division under Maj. Gen. Thomas C. Hindman failed to attack an isolated Union corps at Davis's Cross Roads as ordered on September 11.

Polk's funeral service at Saint Paul's Church in Augusta, Georgia, was one of the most elaborate during the war.

Polk's nephew, Lucius E. Polk, was also a Confederate general.

While the large seal was illustrated, the rendering of a smaller seal was labeled the " Old Seal " and had only twenty-seven stars, seeming to indicate it would date from 1845 during James K. Polk's administration rather than being a smaller 1850 seal.

During Polk's political career, Sarah assisted her husband with his speeches, gave him advice on policy matters and played an active role in his campaigns.

By 1844, the Whigs began their recovery by nominating Henry Clay, who lost to Democrat James K. Polk in a closely contested race, with Polk's policy of western expansion ( particularly the annexation of Texas ) and free trade triumphing over Clay's protectionism and caution over the Texas question.

During Polk's political career, Sarah assisted her husband with his speeches, gave him advice on policy matters and played an active role in his campaigns.

Stockton carried with him Polk's offer to annex Texas, sailing on the Princeton and arriving in Galveston.

Such an action was not without precedent, and Polk's neighbors evidently did not judge him too harshly, for toward the end of the war the Mecklenburg magistrates, with only two dissenters, elected him sheriff.

Polk was a militant Jeffersonian and a Deist ( some said an atheist ), which put him at loggerheads with much of the family, especially his nephew William Polk's three sons, who were Ezekiel's close Tennessee neighbors, ardent Federalists and orthodox churchmen.

He was then made Minister to Prussia in 1846, a position he would hold until President Polk's Democratic administration was replaced by the Whig administration of Zachary Taylor in 1849 ( Donelson's constant complaining about his personal finances and desire for a higher salary probably had more to do with the change than partisan differences .).

The angel rings an angelic Stepin Fetchit with enormous lips — probably a reference to Oscar Polk's performance as Gabriel in The Green Pastures — and orders him to rectify the situation.

* The firm was ranked among the top law firms in private equity fund formation by Chambers Global, which noted that Davis Polk's investment management group " has a strong presence in the private funds market and has leveraged off the firm ’ s impressive finance practice in forging strong relationships with a significant number of investment banks ”.

As good stewards and neighbors, it is imperative that Fort Polk's long-term sustainability goals are consistent with the shared responsibilities

On foreign and military policy, Lincoln spoke out against the Mexican – American War, which he attributed to President Polk's desire for " military glory — that attractive rainbow, that rises in showers of blood ".

George Polk's brother, William, replied to this attack, which he called slanderous, in a letter to the Guardian Monday March 19, 2007.

The two major issues during Polk's speakership were slavery and the economy, after the Panic of 1837.

Polk's actions were popular in the South and West ; however, they were despised by many protectionists in Pennsylvania.

Polk's will stipulated that their slaves were to be freed after his wife Sarah had died.

The peace talks were negotiated by Nicholas Trist, chief clerk of the State Department, who had accompanied General Winfield Scott as a diplomat and President Polk's representative.

Polk's State of the Union address in December 1847 upheld Mexican independence and argued at length that occupation and any further military operations in Mexico were aimed at securing a treaty ceding California and New Mexico up to approximately the 32nd parallel north and possibly Baja California and transit rights across the Isthmus of Tehuantepec.

Southern sympathizers were outraged at the legislature's decisions, citing that Polk's troops in Kentucky were only en route to countering Grant's forces.

Ironically, Polk's actions were not directed by the Confederate government.

These words, spoken in 1887, were typical of Polk's rhetoric: " Our farmers buy everything to raise cotton, and raise cotton to buy everything, and, after going through this treadmill business for years, they lie down and die and leave their families penniless.

During Polk's term declining agricultural yields due to worn out soil were a matter of great concern.