On November 5, 1844, Democratic candidate James K. Polk defeated Whig party candidate Henry Clay to become the eleventh president of the United States. Democrats nominated dark horse candidate Polk on the ninth ballot of the Democratic National Convention after party favorite Martin Van Buren lost the bid because of his opposition to annexing Texas, a position deemed unacceptable by Southerners and by former president Andrew Jackson. Told of his nomination in a letter, Polk penned the …
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…four months later at his new home,"Polk Place," in Nashville, Tennessee. Polk's wife, Sarah Childress Polk, lived at the residence another 42 years, often receiving visitors. During the Civil War, Mrs. Polk welcomed both Confederate and Union leaders to her home. Polk Place became a pilgrimage destination and was respected as neutral ground. When Mrs. Polk passed away in 1891, she was mourned by a nation that regarded her as a precious link to the past.