James K. Polk"Young Hickory"

James Knox Polk was born November 2, 1795. He served in the Tennessee state legislature before becoming a U.S. Representative, eventually rising to Speaker of the House, and later Governor of Tennessee. He won the presidency in 1844 as a relatively unknown dark-horse candidate, running on an ambitious platform of territorial expansion. True to his campaign promises, his single term (1845–1849) achieved nearly all of his stated goals: he oversaw the annexation of Texas, negotiated the Oregon Territory boundary with Britain, and led the country through the Mexican-American War, which resulted in the U.S. acquiring vast new territory including California and the American Southwest. He had pledged from the outset to serve only one term, and he kept that promise, declining to seek re-election.