James K. Polk served as the 11th president of the United States from March 4, 1845, to March 4, 1849. A Democrat, Polk assumed office after defeating Whig Henry Clay in the 1844 presidential election.
JKP
Polk Proclamation Letterhead Arms
The inauguration of James K. Polk, as shown in the Illustrated London News, v. 6, April 19, 1845.
Polk and his cabinet, Front row (left to right): John Y. Mason, William L. Marcy, James K. Polk, Robert J. Walker; Back row (left to right): Cave Johnson, George Bancroft (James Buchanan is absent).
Zachary Taylor was the 12th president of the United States, serving from 1849 until his death in 1850. Before his presidency, Taylor was a career officer in the United States Army, rising to the rank
Presidency of James K. Polk
…Clay in the 1844 presidential election. Polk left office after one term, fulfilling a campaign pledge he made in 1844, and he was succeeded by Whig Zachary Taylor. A close ally of Andrew Jackson, Polk's presidency reflected his adherence to the ideals of Jacksonian democracy and manifest destiny. Polk is regarded…
Taylor by Joseph Henry Bush, c. 1848
Taylor's childhood home in Louisville, Kentucky
Illustration of Taylor's Cypress Grove Plantation on the Mississippi River