Discovering James K. Polk: Top 10 Fun Facts About America's 11th President

1. Workaholic President

James K. Polk, the 11th President of the United States, was such a workaholic that his idea of "taking a break" was probably just switching from a fountain pen to a quill: Polk only left Washington for overnight trips four times during his four-year term and took a six-day vacation once, in which he still suffered from a high fever for two days.
Source => medium.com

2. Hair-sterity Icon

Losing his locks more prestigious than Samson? Fear not, for James K. Polk was a style icon of hair-sterity: Sporting a receded hairline during his presidency, he maintained a distinguished appearance with his signature high forehead and clean-cut fashion.
Source => thescarlet.org

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=> Fun Facts about James-Madison

3. Shortest Retirement Ever

When James K. Polk decided to "retire early and often," little did he know that fate had a different plan: His retirement was the shortest of any U.S. President, as cholera ended it—and his life—only three months after leaving office in 1849.
Source => jameskpolk.com

4. Glowing White House

When the going gets tough, the tough get glowing: James K. Polk was the first president to have gas lighting installed in the White House, but it was his successor, Zachary Taylor, who actually embraced and used it regularly, despite First Lady Sarah Polk's early concerns of explosive consequences.
Source => whitehousehistory.org

5. Dark Horse Candidate

Who'd have thought that the original Dark Horse was actually a candidate, not a shadowy neigh-borhood vigilante with a preference for the nighttime? Say "hay" to James K. Polk: the first dark horse presidential candidate who also managed to fulfill all his campaign promises, from settling the Oregon dispute with Britain to reducing tariffs, establishing an independent treasury, and adding California and New Mexico to the Union through the Mexican-American War.
Source => en.wikipedia.org

6. Real Estate President

If James K. Polk were a real estate agent, he'd be the one to close the biggest deals and conquer the most territories: As the 11th U.S. President, Polk secured the annexation of Texas, the Oregon Territory, and a massive portion of Mexico's land, significantly expanding the United States and fuelling tensions leading up to the Civil War.
Source => millercenter.org

7. Presidential Poker Champ

In the game of presidential poker, James K. Polk held all the right cards: not only did he become the 11th President of the United States, but he also served as the House of Representatives' head honcho. No bluffing here: Polk remains the only President to have served as Speaker of the House, effectively wielding influence to pass crucial legislation such as the Walker Tariff and the Independent Treasury Act during his time in Congress.
Source => millercenter.org

8. First Presidential Selfie

Before selfies and duck faces ruled the world, one president dared to go where no leader had gone before: James K. Polk was the first commander-in-chief to have his photograph taken while in office by the esteemed photographer Mathew Brady, immortalizing him in the Brady-Handy Collection at the Library of Congress.
Source => loc.gov

9. One-Term Wonder

If James K. Polk were a superhero, he'd be called "One-Term Wonder," zipping through his presidency, checking off goals as quickly as a sale shopper on Black Friday: President Polk not only accomplished all his major objectives during his one and only term in office, but he also etched his name in history as the first United States president to have his photograph taken while serving his nation.
Source => whitehouse.gov

10. Polka Dancing with Territories

Before the United States caught its ever-expanding fever, there was a man who went "polka dancing" with territories: James K. Polk, our expansion master in-chief: Under his watch, the United States waged war on Mexico, giving us Texas, California, and bits of other states, all at the cost of foreshadowing the Civil War.
Source => constitutioncenter.org