Timeline of the American Presidency . . . PoetPatriot.com

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TimeLine of the American Presidency
Last updated March, 2007

Executive Jump - G Washington - J Adams - T Jefferson - J Madison - J Monroe - J Q Adams - A Jackson -
- M Van Buren - W H Harrison - J Tyler - J Polk - Z Taylor - M Fillmore - F Pierce - J Buchanan - A Lincoln - A Johnson -
- U S Grant - R B Hayes - J Garfield - C Arthur - G Cleveland - B Harrison - G Cleveland - W McKinley - T Roosevelt - W Taft -
- W Wilson - W Harding - C Coolidge - H Hoover - F D Roosevelt - H Truman - D D Eisenhower - J F Kennedy -
- L B Johnson - R Nixon - G Ford - J Carter - R Reagan - G H W Bush - B Clinton - G W Bush -

Inauguration Speeches - Party Platforms - The Early Presidents

Methodology

Year

- Heading for each president has a picture and the Year in bold. [George Washington is the first President under the United States Constitution. - see the first American Presidents]
- Next Term" & "Prior Term" allows jumping between 1st and 2nd terms.

Vice Pres.

Vice

- Those V.P.'s that later became President are hyperlinked to their first presidential term.
- Where the VP did not become Pres. and a second term is listed, the last name is linked to the first term where the information resides.
- Lists when there was no Vice President for that Presidential term.

First Lady

- The First Lady is the woman who served as hostess and performed the social duties for the President.
- Although the First Lady was usually the President's wife, due to illness, death, or disinterest, others may have served.
- Also listed is the wife if not the "First Lady" and the number of children the President had.

Info.

- Political party; when linked is to a link for the Platform of the previous convention.
- State the President is from; linked to a brief history of that state.
- Other points of interest about the President.

Oath

- Information about the swearing in of the President when there was not an Inauguration.

Inaug. Addr.

- May contain some information about the inauguration.
- Includes a quote from the inauguration speech where the President prays or gives thanks for America's Blessings to the God Almighty.

Quotes

- Quotes from the President. The listing does not necessarily reflect the presidential term the quote was stated, only that it was said.

Birth Death

- The president's birth date and place.
- The president's date of death and sometimes the place or other specifics.

Birth
Death

- The president's birth date and place. (c) Copyright 2005 Roger W Hancock - PoetPatriot.com
- "Death" is in bold when the death ended the president's service.

Index

Link/s

- Link or links to sites with more information.
- "Index" links back up to the quick jump index of Presidents.

Year

Act

- Acts of Congress concerning the presidency.
- Next Act takes you to the next listed Congressional Act concerning the presidency.

TimeLine of the American Presidency
(c) Copyright 2005-06-07 Roger W Hancock - PoetPatriot.com

Organized by date of office or the Act of Congress.

1787

Act

The office of President and Vice President were created at the constitutional convention in 1787.
- Next Act

1788

Act

The United States Constitution is ratified which as well as civil rights defines the three branches of government establishing the American Presidency.
- Next Act

1788

Act

The U. S. Constitution, Article II, Section 1, Clause 6, states the Vice President replaces the President upon a vacancy and gives Congress the power to determine further succession.
- Next Act

1789

George Washington becomes the first President of the United States of America. He was elected by a majority of presidential electors of the new government.
- Next Term.

Vice

John Adams was Vice President to George Washington for both terms.

First Lady

Martha (Dandridge Custis) Washington was Washington's wife and the first "first lady". They had 2 children.

Info.

Washington was from the State of Virginia. As no parties existed in the beginning George Washington would eventually become a member of the Federalist Party.
George Washington received a unanimous popular vote. The only president with that distinction.
Washington establishes the cabinet and the two-year term.

Inaug. Addr.

George Washington is inaugurated on April 30th, 1789, at Federal Hall on Wall Street in New York, as the first president of the United States. Washington adds to the oath "So help me, God." That phrase has become an unofficial part of the oath having been added by every President to date.
President Washington begins his Inaugural Address to both Houses of Congress with, "It would be peculiarly improper to omit, in this first official act, my fervent supplications to that Almighty Being who rules over the universe, who presides in the councils of nations and whose providential aids can supply every human defect, that His benediction may consecrate to the liberties and happiness of the people of the United States a Government instituted by themselves for these essential purposes; and may enable every instrument employed in its administration to execute with success, the functions allotted to his charge."

Quote

"To be prepared for war is one of the most effectual means of preserving peace." - President George Washington, January 8, 1790.
"As the sword was the last resort for the preservation of our liberties, so it ought to be the first to be laid aside when those liberties are firmly established." - President George Washington.
"Government is not reason; it is not eloquence; it is force! Like fire, it is a dangerous servant and a fearful master." - President George Washington.

1792

Act

Congress enacts a law that places the president pro tempore and the Speaker in the line of succession for the presidency.
- Next Act

1793

President George Washington begins his second term as president serving until 1797.
- Prior Term

Vice

Info.

President Washington, in 1794, ordered 15,000 troops to Pennsylvania to put down the first challenge to federal authority. Negotiations brought about a compromise that averted the need for force.

Oath

Not quite an inaugural address but comments prior to Washington taking the oath of office in Philadelphia, include the following excerpt.
"I am again called upon by the voice of my country to execute the functions of its Chief Magistrate. When the occasion proper for it shall arrive, I shall endeavor to express the high sense I entertain of this distinguished honor, and of the confidence which has been reposed in me by the people of united America." - President George Washington, comment prior to his second oath of office.

Quote

"But if we are to be told by a foreign Power ... what we shall do, and what we shall not do, we have Independence yet to seek, and have contended hitherto for very little." - President George Washington, letter to Alexander Hamilton, May 8, 1796.
"Liberty, when it begins to take root, is a plant of rapid growth." - President George Washington.
"Government is not reason; it is not eloquence; it is force! Like fire, it is a dangerous servant and a fearful master." - President George Washington.

Birth Death

George Washington was born in Westmoreland County, Virginia on February 22, 1732
Washington Died at Mount Vernon, Virginia on December 14, 1799

Index

Link

George Washington - White House History

1797

John Adams is the second President of the United States of America and serves from 1797 to 1801.

Vice

Thomas Jefferson was Vice President to John Adams.

First Lady

Abigail Smith was first lady. They had 5 children.

Info.

President John Adams was a Federalist from the state of Massachusetts. The diplomatic dispute called the "XYZ Affair" nearly led to war with France. The French would harass American ships and attempted to bribe America.

Quote

Before the election and about the Whitehouse he writes to his wife, "I pray Heaven to bestow the best of Blessings on this House and all that shall hereafter inhabit it. May none but honest and wise Men ever rule under this roof." (c) Copyright 2005 Roger W Hancock - PoetPatriot.com

Inaug. Addr.

Adams was inaugurated in Philadelphia.
"And may that Being who is supreme over all, the Patron of Order, the Fountain of Justice, and the Protector in all ages of the world of virtuous liberty, continue His blessing upon this nation and its Government and give it all possible success and duration consistent with the ends of His providence." - President John Adams, Inaugural Address.

Quotes

"His Example is now complete, and it will teach wisdom and virtue to magistrates, citizens, and men, not only in the present age, but in future generations, as long as our history shall be read." - President John Adams, message to the U.S. Senate, December 19, 1799.
"Children should be educated and instructed in the principles of
freedom." - President John Adams.
"By my physical constitution, I am but an ordinary man. The times alone have destined me to fame - and even these have not been able to give me much." - President John Adams.
John Adams' last words were "Thomas Jefferson still survives." Adams was unaware that Jefferson had passed on earlier that same Independence Day, July 4th, 1826.

Birth Death

John Adams was born October 30 1735 in Braintree, Norfolk, Massachusetts.
He died on July 4, 1826 in Braintree, Norfolk, Massachusetts.

Index

Link

John Adams - White House History

1801

Thomas Jefferson the 3rd President of the U.S. and serves from 1801 to 1809.
- Next Term

Vice Pres.

Vice President to Thomas Jefferson was Aaron Burr.
Aaron Burr killed Alexander Hamilton in a duel on July 11, 1804.
In 1807 Burr was tried for treason and acquitted.
Aaron Burr was born in Newark, Essex County, New Jersey on February 6, 1756.
He died, after several strokes, at a Hotel in Port Richmond, Staten Island, Richmond County, New York on September 14, 1836.

First Lady

Info.

Jefferson was a Democrat-Republican from Virginia. He was the first president elected by the House of Representatives. Jefferson commissioned the Lewis and Clark expedition.

Inaug. Addr.

Jefferson is the first president inaugurated in Washington, D.C
"And may that Infinite Power which rules the destinies of the universe lead our councils to what is best, and give them a favorable issue for your peace and prosperity." - Thomas Jefferson, First Inaugural Address.

Quotes

"That government is best which governs the least, because its people discipline themselves." - President Thomas Jefferson. .c) Copyright 2005 Roger W Hancock - PoetPatriot.com
"Newspapers… serve as chimnies to carry off noxious vapors and smoke." - President Thomas Jefferson, letter to Thaddeus Kosciusko, April 2, 1802.
"One man with courage makes a majority." - President Thomas Jefferson.
"The opinion which gives to the judges the right to decide what laws are constitutional and what not, not only for themselves, in their, own sphere of action, but for the Legislature and Executive also in their spheres, would make the Judiciary a despotic branch." President Thomas Jefferson, letter to Abigail Adams, September 11, 1804.

1804

Act

The 12th Amendment was ratified separating the vote in the Electoral College for president from the vote for vice president. The change makes it less likely that the President and Vice President would be of differing parties.
- Next Act

1805

President Thomas Jefferson is re-elected.
- Prior Term

Vice Pres.

Jefferson's second Vice President was George Clinton.
George Clinton was a delegate from New York to the Continental Congress.
Clinton was born in Little Britain, Orange County, New York on July 26, 1739.
He died in office under James Madison on April 20, 1812 in Washington, D.C

Info.

Tripoli, having declared war with the U.S. in 1801, was defeated in 1805.
Jefferson's image is on the nickel from 1938 and the 2 dollar bill from the 1860's.
He has been called, "Apostle of Liberty", "Sage of Monticello", "Friend of the People", and "Father of the University of Virginia"

Inaug. Addr.

"I shall need, too, the favor of that Being in whose hands we are, who led our forefathers, as Israel of old, from their native land, and planted them in a country flowing with all the necessaries and comforts of life; who has covered our infancy with his providence, and our riper years with his wisdom and power; and to whose goodness I ask you to join with me in supplications, that he will so enlighten the minds of your servants, guide their councils, and prosper their measures, that whatsoever they do, shall result in your good, and shall secure to you the peace, friendship, and approbation of all nations." - President Thomas Jefferson, Second Inaugural Address.

Quotes

"I suppose, indeed, that in public life, a man whose political principles have any decided character and who has energy enough to give them effect must always expect to encounter political hostility from those of adverse principles." - President Thomas Jefferson, letter to Richard M. Johnson, March 10, 1808.
"The true key for the construction of everything doubtful in a law is the intention of the law-makers. This is most safely gathered from the words, but may be sought also in extraneous circumstances provided they do not contradict the express words of the law." President Thomas Jefferson, letter to Albert Gallatin, May 20, 1808.
"The price of freedom is eternal vigilance." - President Thomas Jefferson.
"The same prudence which in private life would forbid our paying our own money for unexplained projects, forbids it in the dispensation of the public moneys." - President Thomas Jefferson, letter to Shelton Gilliam, June 19, 1808. (c) Copyright 2005 Roger W Hancock - PoetPatriot.com

Birth Death

Thomas Jefferson was born April 13, 1743 in Albermarle County, Virginia.
Jefferson died near Charlottesville, Albemarle County, Virginia on July 4, 1826.
Thomas Jefferson and John Adams both, died on Independence Day.

Index

Link

Thomas Jefferson - White House Historypyright 2005 Roger W Hancock - PoetPatriot.com

1809

James Madison becomes the 4th President in 1809, serving until 1817.
- Next Term

Vice

George Clinton was Madison's first Vice President but first served under President Jackson.
Vice President Clinton having died in office on April 20, 1812, leaves the President Pro Tempore, William H. Crawford, of the Senate as next in line to succeed to the presidency.

First Lady

Dolly Madison (Dolley Payne Todd) They had no children.

Info.

Madison was a Democratic-Republican from Virginia.
The war of 1812 was declared against Great Britain.

Inaug. Addr.

"In these my confidence will under every difficulty be best placed, next to that which we have all been encouraged to feel in the guardianship and guidance of that Almighty Being whose power regulates the destiny of nations, whose blessings have been so conspicuously dispensed to this rising Republic, and to whom we are bound to address our devout gratitude for the past, as well as our fervent supplications and best hopes for the future." - President James Madison, First Inaugural Address.

Quotes

"The problem to be solved is, not what form of government is perfect, but which of the forms is least imperfect." - President James Madison.
"A popular Government without popular information, or the means of acquiring it, is but a prologue to a farce or a tragedy; or, perhaps both." - President James Madison.

1813

President James Madison begins second term as President.
- Prior Term

Vice Pres.

Madison's second Vice President was Elbridge Gerry.
The word "gerrymander" was coined to describe the oddly shaped district his party created in 1811. He signed the Declaration of Independence and Articles of Confederation.
He was born in Marblehead, Essex County, Massachusetts on July 17, 1744.
He died in office on November 23, 1814 in Washington, D.C
The President Pro Tempore of the Senate, John Gaillard, was next in line to succeed to the presidency.

Info.

The War of 1812 ended in 1814 marking the end of economic dependence on Great Britain.
Both of Madison's Vice Presidents died in office.

Inaug. Addr.

"... I should be compelled to shrink if I had less reliance on the support of an enlightened and generous people, and felt less deeply a conviction that the war with a powerful nation, which forms so prominent a feature in our situation, is stamped with that justice which invites the smiles of Heaven on the means of conducting it to a successful termination" - President James Madison, Second Inaugural Address.

Quotes

"It is a principle incorporated into the settled policy of America, that as peace is better than war, war is better than tribute." - President James Madison, letter to the Dey of Algiers, August, 1816.
"The truth is that all men having power ought to be mistrusted." - President James Madison.
"I believe there are more instances of the abridgement of the freedom of the people by gradual and silent encroachments of those in power than by violent and sudden usurpations." - President James Madison.

Birth Death

James Madison was born March 16, 1751 in Port Conway, King George County, Virginia.
Madison died on June 28, 1836 in Montpelier, Orange County, Virginia.

Index

Link

James Madison - White House History

1817

James Monroe becomes the 5th President of the United States in 1817 serving through 1825.
- Next Term.

Vice Pres.

Daniel D. Tompkins was Vice President for both terms.
He was a delegate to the New York state constitutional convention, U.S. Representative, and Governor of New York.
Daniel Tompkins was born in Scarsdale, Westchester County, New York on June 21, 1774.
Died on Staten Island, Richmond County, New York on June 11, 1825.

First Lady

Elizabeth (Kortright) Monroe was his wife and they had 3 children.

Info.

Monroe was a Democratic-Republican from Virginia.
He delivers the Monroe Doctrine address to Congress where he warns of against other powers intervening in the Western Hemisphere.

Inaug. Addr.

"Relying on the aid to be derived from the other departments of the Government, I enter on the trust to which I have been called by the suffrages of my fellow-citizens with my fervent prayers to the Almighty that He will be graciously pleased to continue to us that protection which He has already so conspicuously displayed in our favor." - President James Monroe, First Inaugural Address.

Quotes

"The earth was given to mankind to support the greatest number of which it is capable, and no tribe or people have a right to withhold from the wants of others more than is necessary for their own support and comfort." - President James Monroe.
"National honor is a national property of the highest value." - President James Monroe.

1821

President James Monroe begins a second term as President of the United States.
- Prior Term

Vice

Daniel D. Tompkins was Vice President for both terms.

Info.

In the 1820 electoral college Monroe received all but one vote.
Monroe develops the policy that America will stand against further colonization of the American Continents by Europe and Russia. 30 years later this policy became known as the Monroe Doctrine.

Inaug. Addr.

"With full confidence in the continuance of that candor and generous indulgence from my fellow-citizens at large which I have heretofore experienced, and with a firm reliance on the protection of Almighty God, I shall forthwith commence the duties of the high trust to which you have called me." - President James Monroe, Second Inaugural Address.

Quotes

"A little flattery will support a man through great fatigue." - President James Monroe.
"The American continents . . . are henceforth not to be considered as subjects for future colonization by any European powers." - President James Monroe, the Monroe Doctrine.

Birth Death

James Monroe was born April 28th, 1758 in Westmoreland County, Virginia.
Monroe died of tuberculosis on Independence Day, July 4, 1831 in New York City.

Index

Link

1825

John Quincy Adams is inaugurated in 1825 becoming the 6th American President and serves until 1829.

Vice Pres.

John Caldwell Calhoun was Vice President.
His picture appeared on Confederate $1000 notes in 1861 and $100 notes in 1862.
Calhoun was born near Mt. Carmel, McCormick County, South Carolina on March 18, 1782.
He died in office as U.S. Senator from South Carolina on March 31, 1850 in Washington, D.C

First Lady

Louis Catherine (Johnson) Adams was First Lady and they had 4 children.

Info.

Adams was a Democratic-Republican from Massachusetts.
He is the first President whose father (John Adams) also had served as President. The only other was G. W. Bush.
Adams imposed a high tariff on imports in 1828. It was called the Tariff of Abominations.
John Quincy Adams was the first president to have written a collection of poetry.

Inaug. Addr.

"In compliance with an usage coeval with the existence of our Federal Constitution, and sanctioned by the example of my predecessors in the career upon which I am about to enter, I appear, my fellow-citizens, in your presence and in that of Heaven to bind myself by the solemnities of religious obligation to the faithful performance of the duties allotted to me in the station to which I have been called." - President John Quincy Adams, first Inaugural Address.

Quote

"America, with the same voice which spoke herself into existence as a nation, proclaimed to mankind the inextinguishable rights of human nature, and the only lawful foundations of government." - President John Quincy Adams.
"This hand, to tyrants ever sworn the foe, For Freedom only deals the deadly blow; Then sheathes in calm repose the vengeful blade, For gentle peace in Freedom's hallowed shade." - President John Quincy Adams.
"May our country be always successful, but whether successful or otherwise, always right." - President John Quincy Adams.

Birth Death

John Quincy Adams was born on July 11, 1767 in Braintree (Quincy), Massachusetts.
Adams, two days after collapsing of a stroke on the floor of the U.S. House, died on February 23, 1848.

Index

Link

John Quincy Adams - White House History

1829

The 7th President of the U. S. is Andrew Jackson, who serves from 1829 to 1837.
- Next Term

Vice

John C. Calhoun was Jackson's first Vice President.

First Lady

Donelson Emily, Jackson's wife's niece, serves as "First Lady". His wife was Rachel (Donelson) Jackson and they had one child.

Info.

Jackson was a Democrat from Tennessee.
Jackson survives the first assassination attempt on an American President.
He was the first presidential candidate nominated by a political party.

Inaug. Addr.

"The same diffidence induces me to hope for instruction and aid from the coordinate branches of the Government, and for the indulgence and support of my fellow-citizens generally. And a firm reliance on the goodness of that Power whose providence mercifully protected our national infancy, and has since upheld our liberties in various vicissitudes, encourages me to offer up my ardent supplications that He will continue to make our beloved country the object of His divine care and gracious benediction." - President Andrew Jackson, First Inaugural Address.

Quotes

"I know what I am fit for. I can command a body of men in a rough way; but I am not fit to be President." - President Andrew Jackson.
"You know, I never despair. I have confidence in the virtue and good sense of the people. God is just, and while we act faithfully to the Constitution, he will smile and prosper our exertions." - President Andrew Jackson.
"Our Federal Union: it must be preserved." - President Andrew Jackson, toast given at the Jefferson Birthday Celebration in 1830.

1833

President Andrew Jackson begins his second term.
- Prior Term

Vice Pres.

Martin Van Buren is Jackson's second Vice President.

First Lady

Emily Donelson, Jackson's wife's niece, serving as "First Lady" dies in 1936. The wife of his adopted nephew, Sarah Jackson then acts as "First Lady." His wife was Rachel (Donelson) Jackson and they had one child.

Info.

He was the first president to ride a railroad train and the first born in a log Cabin.
Jackson became known for assembling a diverse and strong cabinet.
Jackson was shot at with two guns by Richard Lawrence on January 30, 1835. Both guns misfired.

Inaug. Addr.

"Finally, it is my most fervent prayer to that Almighty Being before whom I now stand, and who has kept us in His hands from the infancy of our Republic to the present day, that He will so overrule all my intentions and actions and inspire the hearts of my fellow-citizens that we may be preserved from dangers of all kinds and continue forever a united and happy people." - President Andrew Jackson, Second Inaugural Address. (c) Copyright 2005 Roger W Hancock - PoetPatriot.com

Quotes

"It’s a damn poor mind that can think of only one way to spell a word." - President Andrew Jackson.
"I hope and trust to meet you in Heaven, both white and black—both white and black." - Andrew Jackson, on his death, to the whole of his household, including his slaves.

Birth Death

Andrew Jackson was born in a log cabin on March 15, 1767 in Waxhaw, South Carolina.
Jackson died on June 8, 1845 at the Hermitage near Nashville, Tennessee.

Index

Link

Andrew Jackson - White House History

1837

Martin Van Buren serves from 1837 to 1841 as the 8th President of the United States.

Vice Pres.

Richard M. Johnson was Vice President.
He was a U.S. Representative and U.S. Senator from Kentucky.
Johnson was born in Jefferson County, Kentucky on October 17, 1780.
He died on November 19, 1850 and is interred in Frankfort, Kentucky.

First Lady

Van Buren's daughter-in-law, Angelica Singleton Van Buren, serves as First Lady. His wife was Hannah (Hoes) Van Buren and they had 4 children.

Info.

Martin Van Buren was a democrat from New York.
Van Buren was the first president to be born a U. S. citizen.
Until George H. W. Bush, Van Buren was the last president elected who served as Vice President under the previous president.
President Van Buren opposed the statehood of Texas because of the fuel it would add to the Slavery debate.

Inaug. Addr.

"Beyond that I only look to the gracious protection of the Divine Being whose strengthening support I humbly solicit, and whom I fervently pray to look down upon us all. May it be among the dispensations of His providence to bless our beloved country with honors and with length of days. May her ways be ways of pleasantness and all her paths be peace!" - Martin Van Buren, Inaugural Address.

Quotes

"There is a power of public opinion in this country. .which will not tolerate an incompetent or unworthy man to hold in his weak or wicked hands the lives and fortunes of his fellow-citizens." - President Martin Van Buren.
"The atonement of Jesus Christ is the only remedy and rest for my soul." - President Martin Van Buren, during his final illness in 1892.

Birth Death

Martin Van Buren was born on December 5, 1782 in Columbia, New York.
Van Buren died after an asthma attack on July 24, 1862 in Kinderhook, New York.

Index

Link

Martin Van Buren - White House History

1841

William Henry Harrison is the 9th President of the United States of America for 31 days in 1841.

Vice

First Lady

Jane Irwin Harrison, President Harrison's daughter-in-law served as First Lady. His wife was Anna Tuthill (Symmes) Harrison. They had 10 children.

Info.

Harrison was a Whig from Indiana.
William Henry Harrison is the first presidential candidate to have a campaign slogan, "Tippecanoe and Tyler, Too."
Harrison let Daniel Webster edit his Inaugural Address.
He was the first President to die in office.
Harrison is the grandfather of the 23rd President, Benjamin Harrison.

Inaug. Addr.

"... I too well understand the dangerous temptations to which I shall be exposed from the magnitude of the power which it has been the pleasure of the people to commit to my hands not to place my chief confidence upon the aid of that Almighty Power which has hitherto protected me and enabled me to bring to favorable issues other important but still greatly inferior trusts heretofore confided to me by my country." - President William Henry Harrison, Inaugural Address.

Quotes

"But I contend that the strongest of all governments is that which is most free." - President William Henry Harrison
"The prudent capitalist will never adventure his capital . . . if there exists a state of uncertainty as to whether the Government will repeal tomorrow what it has enacted today." - President William Henry Harrison
"I wish you to understand the true principles of the government. I wish them carried out. I ask nothing more." - President William Henry Harrison, last known words spoken on his deathbed.

Birth Death

William Henry Harrison was born on February 9, 1773 at Berkley in Charles City County, Virginia.
Harrison served as the 9th U.S. President for 31 days before he died of pneumonia on April 4, 1841. He was the first President to die in office.

Index

Link

William Henry Harrison - White House History

1841

Act

The U.S. Constitution did not make clear whether, upon the President's death the Vice President became "acting" or "permanent" President. Vice President John Tyler asserted the "permanent" position and takes the Presidential oath of office establishing the precedent.
- Next Act

1841

John Tyler becomes the 10th President of the United States upon the death of President Harrison, serving from 1841 until 1845.

Vice

Tyler had no Vice President. The President Pro Tempore of the Senate, William R. King was next inline to succeed to the presidency.

First Lady

Priscilla Cooper Tyler, the president's daughter-in-law, serves as First Lady. Tyler's first wife was Letitia Christian who died during Tyler's term. and his second wife was Julia Gardiner. Tyler had 15 children.

Info.

Tyler was a Whig from Virginia. (c) Copyright 2005 Roger W Hancock - PoetPatriot.com
During Tyler's term his wife, Letitia, had died. He again married, to Julia Gardiner, becoming the first president to wed while serving in office.
Being considered a political outlaw he named his home "Sherwood Forest."
Representative John Quincy Adams spearheaded a resolution declaring the President misused the veto power, but the resolution failed.
The "Log-Cabin" bill enabled a settler to claim 160 acres of land before it was offered publicly for sale at $1.25 an acre.

Oath

John Tyler was one of five Presidents that was not inaugurated. The oath of office was given to Tyler, upon President Harrison's death, at the Queen Hotel on April 6 by U.S. Circuit Court Judge William Cranch. John Tyler was the first President to affirm rather than swear.

Quotes

"I can never consent to being dictated to." - President John Tyler.
""Wealth can only be accumulated by the earnings of industry and the savings of frugality." - President John Tyler.
"Popularity, I have always thought, may aptly be compared to a coquette—the more you woo her, the more apt is she to elude your embrace." - President John Tyler.

Birth Death

John Tyler was born March 29, 1790 in Charles City County, Virginia.
Tyler died in office of the Confederate Provisional Congress on January 18, 1862 in Richmond, Virginia.

Index

Link

John Tyler - White House History

1845

James Knox Polk becomes the 11th President of the U. S., serving from 1845 until 1849.

Vice Pres.

George Mifflin Dallas was Polk's Vice President.
Dallas was U.S. Minister to Russia from 1837 to '39 and to Great Britain from 1856 to '61.
Born in Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, Pa., July 10, 1792.
Died in Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, Pa., December 31, 1864.

First Lady

Sarah (Childress) Polk was his wife and they had no children.

Info.

Polk was a Democrat from Tennessee.
He was called the "Manifest Destiny" president for acquiring the most property for the United States since the Louisiana Purchase.
The 1846 Oregon Treaty fixed the border between the U.S. Northwest and Great Britain granting the land, that is now the states of Oregon and Washington, to the U.S.

Inaug. Addr.

"In assuming responsibilities so vast I fervently invoke the aid of that Almighty Ruler of the Universe in whose hands are the destinies of nations and of men to guard this Heaven-favored land against the mischiefs which without His guidance might arise from an unwise public policy." - James K Polk, Inaugural Address. (c) Copyright 2005 Roger W Hancock - PoetPatriot.com

Quotes

"With me it is exceptionally true that the Presidency is no bed of roses." - President James K. Polk.
"Public opinion: May it always perform one of its appropriate offices, by teaching the public functionaries of the State and of the Federal Government, that neither shall assume the exercise of powers entrusted by the Constitution to the other." - President James K. Polk.
"I am heartily rejoiced that my term is so near its close. I will soon cease to be a servant and will become a sovereign." - President James K. Polk.