The Daily Herald
Few presidents, if any, have changed America so dramatically during a single term than James K. Polk, Maury County Archives director Tom Price said about America s 11th president. He was an unapologetic workaholic his whole career, Price said.
According to the President James K. Polk Home and Museum in Columbia, Polk s one-term presidency from 1845 to 1849 was action-packed, in which three states were added to the union, Texas, Iowa and Wisconsin, alongside the acquisition of California.
Grueling long hours and unwavering focus made Polk successful as the youngest president of his time with accomplishments ranging from adding more land to the U.S. than any other president, creating the modern-day postal system and establishing the Smithsonian Institution.