James K. Polk was the eleventh president of the United States. Although hardly a household name, his presidency is often ranked by historians among the most successful. He set four goals to accomplish during his only term and accomplished all of them. Most notably, he oversaw the expansion of the United States to the Pacific Ocean.
Here are two other bits of Polk trivia. First, he is the only Speaker of the House to be elected president. Also, he had the shortest retirement of any ex-President. He died of cholera only 103 days after leaving office.
Approved by Brian Russart of the Milwaukee County Parks Department. Geocache Permit #3.