James Knox Polk, the 11th President of the United States in my 9th cousin 6x removed. The ancestor who connect us together is Sir James 1st Lord Duke Hamilton Hamilton 6th Laird of Cadzow Hamilton (1423 – 1479), my 11th great grandfather.

James Knox Polk was born on November 2, 1795 died on June 15, 1849. He was the 11th President of the United States (1845-1849). He previously was Speaker of the House of Representatives (1835-1839) and Governor of Tennessee (1839-1841). A protégé of Andrew Jackson, he was a member of the Democratic Party and an advocate of Jacksonian democracy. During Polk’s presidency, America expanded significantly with the annexation of the Republic of Texas, the Oregon Territory, and the Mexican Cession following the American victory in the Mexican-American War. After building a successful law practice in Tennessee, Polk was elected to the state legislature (1823) and then to the United States House of Representatives in 1825, becoming a strong supporter of Jackson. After serving as chairman from the Ways and Means Committee, he became Speaker in 1835, the only President to have been Speaker Polk left Congress to run for governor; he won in 1839 but lost in 1841 and 1843. He was a dark horse candidate for the Democratic nomination for President in 1844; he entered his party’s convention as a potential nominee for vice president but emerged as a compromise to head the ticket when no presidential applicant could secure the necessary two-thirds majority.

The genealogical chart shows how President James Polk and I share a common ancestor:

James Knox Polk ,11th President of the United States (1795 – 1849)
9th cousin 6x removed

Samuel Ezekial Polk (1772 – 1827)
Father of James Knox Polk ,11th President of the United States

Ezekial Franklin Polk (1747 – )
Father of Samuel Ezekial Polk

William Polk (1700 – 1753)
Father of Ezekial Franklin Polk

Robert Bruce Polke (1640 – 1704)
Father of William Polk

Robert Bruce Pollock (1601 – 1640)
Father of Robert Bruce Polke

Robert Pollok (1559 – 1625)
Father of Robert Bruce Pollock

Janet Mure (1524 – 1576)
Mother of Robert Pollok

Elizabeth Hamilton (1505 – )
Mother of Janet Mure

Gavin Hamilton (1480 – )
Father of Elizabeth Hamilton

Sir James 1st Lord Duke Hamilton Hamilton 6th Laird of Cadzow Hamilton (1423 – 1479)
Father of Gavin Hamilton