Presidents 10 - 12

John Tyler

John Tyler was a man of strong, independent principles. Although he had been elected to the Senate as an Andrew Jackson Democrat, he came to disagree with many of President Jackson's policies, especially Jackson's attack on the Bank of the United States. Resigning from Congress and the Democratic Party, Tyler lost his political seat, but remained steadfast in his convictions.

John Tyler was born in Virginia not far from the boyhood home of his future running mate, William Henry Harrison. His father had been governor of Virginia and an admirer of Thomas Jefferson. Even as a young boy, Tyler began absorbing his father's Jeffersonian notions concerning states' rights and strict interpretation of the Constitution.

After graduating from William and Mary College at age 17, Tyler practiced law and was elected to the Virginia legislature when he was only 21 years old. He became a member of Congress and then governor of Virginia, but he resigned the governorship when he was elected to the Senate. Although he had begun his career as a Democrat, his opposition to Jackson and loss of the Senate seat caused him to return to the Virginia House of Delegates as a Whig in 1838.

The Whigs chose Tyler as William Henry Harrison's running mate in 1840, hoping that Tyler would attract southern votes. When Harrison died a month after his inauguration, Tyler was sworn in as President. Many Whigs thought that Tyler would merely be an "acting President" who would follow the former Presidentís policies or act on the advice of the Cabinet. But Tyler soon proved his will to be an independent President. He vetoed Congress's bill for higher tariffs and for reestablishing a national bank. The Whig party bosses were shocked and every Cabinet member except Secretary of State Daniel Webster resigned.

John Tyler became a President without a party. Neither the Whigs nor Democrats supported him, and his opponents called him "His Accidency."

With Congress united against him, there was little Tyler could accomplish. After his term ended, Tyler returned to Sherwood Forest, his Virginia plantation. In retirement, he served on a commission in 1861 seeking peace between the North and the South. His most memorable act as President was to sign bills admitting Florida and Texas into the Union.

James Knox Polk

In 1845, President Polk rode into the White House on a wave of popular support. Americans eagerly endorsed his promise to expand the United States from sea to sea. Polk made good on his promise. No man -- except Thomas Jefferson -- did more to expand the nation's boundaries. But to fulfill his dream, he led the United States into a bloody war with Mexico.

James Knox Polk was born on November 2, 1795, in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina. His family soon moved to Tennessee, where his father was one of the state's most productive planters. After graduating from the University of North Carolina in 1818, Polk became a lawyer and a Jacksonian Democrat. In 1825, he was elected to the first of seven consecutive terms in the House of Representatives.

Polk earned a reputation as an intelligent and hard-working man, but one who lacked charisma. Usually reserved and without a sense of humor, he was perhaps more respected than liked. Although his colleagues in the House of Representatives elected him Speaker in 1835, they also called him "Polk the Plodder" behind his back.

In 1844, the Democratic Party selected Polk to run for President when party leaders found they could not agree on any other candidate. Polk promised that if elected, he would annex Texas and push American claims in the Oregon territory. Expansion was a popular issue, and Polk beat Whig candidate Henry Clay, who had wavered in his support for annexing Texas.

First, he moved to gain control of Oregon. Though both Britain and United States claimed the Oregon territory, neither nation wanted to go to war. In 1846, Tyler agreed to a compromise, and the territory was divided at the 49th parallel.

Mexico was not willing to part with Texas so peacefully. They were furious at its recent annexation by the United States. Polk ordered General Zachary Taylor to occupy a disputed area of land along the border between the United States and Mexico. When Mexican forces resisted the American occupation, the President asked Congress to declare war.

Although many Americans, including Abraham Lincoln and Ulysses Grant, opposed the war, from Polk's point of view it was a great success. American armies occupied New Mexico and California, and finally captured Mexico City itself. In 1848, the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo ended the war. The United States paid Mexico $18.5 million for the Mexican Cession -- a vast territory that later became the states of California, Arizona, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, and Wyoming.

By 1848, President Polk was in ill-health. He did not run for reelection and died a few months after leaving office. But he had accomplished his goal. During his presidency, the United States was enlarged by some 500,000 square miles.

Zachary Taylor

Few soldiers ever looked less "military" than Zachary Taylor. Although he spent most of his life in the army, his preference for civilian clothes became legendary. Those who saw him ride into battle wearing a straw hat and an old coat nicknamed him "Old Rough and Ready."

Zachary Taylor was born on November 24, 1784, in Orange County, Virginia. When Taylor was still a baby, his family moved to Kentucky, and he grew up on the frontier. Following the lead of his father, who had been an officer in the Revolutionary War, Taylor entered the army in 1811 and gradually rose up through the ranks. He served in the War of 1812. He led American forces in the Black Hawk War in 1832, and against the Seminole Indians in 1837.

In 1846, President Polk chose Taylor to command the forces protecting American claims to Texas. During the Mexican War, Taylor's troops defeated Mexican armies in battle after battle. His victories made him a national war hero.

President Polk soon believed that Taylor's new-found popularity made him presidential material. Despite his lack of political experience, the Whigs did indeed choose Taylor as their presidential candidate in 1848. Taylor defeated both Lewis Cass, the Democratic candidate, and Martin Van Buren, the candidate of the Free Soil party.

During Taylor's term, the slavery question dominated American politics. President Taylor opposed the Compromise of 1850, a series of measures proposed by Henry Clay and Stephen Douglas to deal with the issue. But Taylor's early death made his opposition irrelevant.

On July 4, 1850, Taylor attended a ceremony at the unfinished Washington Monument. It was a broiling hot day. After the ceremony, he returned to the White House and ate several bowls of cherries and cucumbers washed down with iced milk. The combination of the food and the heat made him acutely ill. Five days later, he died.

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