This informative post will be published on Saturday along with my usual writing.  You are invited to participate with the opening question.

Brain Teaser Question

What is the shortest name of a U.S. state that shares a letter in common with each of the other 49 states?

(answer found at the end of this post)

Featured Facts

The 11th American President was James Polk, whose single term (1845-1849) included many notable accomplishments.

Here are some interesting facts about President Polk:

• State Represented:  Tennessee
• Political Party:  Democratic
• College Attended:  University of North Carolina (his birth state)
• Other Political Offices:  Tennessee Governor, Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, Tennessee Legislature

When elected to the office of President in 1844, James Polk became the first dark horse candidate to win the nation’s highest office.  Being an overlooked underdog, Polk was nominated as a compromise candidate for the Democratic Party when its nominating convention was deadlocked.  He campaigned with an agenda to annex Texas into the U.S. as well as opening up the Oregon territory to American settlers.

Polk’s nickname of “Young Hickory” reflected his mentorship under another famous Tennessean, President Andrew Jackson.  Jackson’s nickname was “Old Hickory.”  

Promising to only serve one term, James Polk continued a long line of one-term Presidents, who followed the two-term Presidency of Andrew Jackson (1829-1837).  There would not be another President elected to a second term until Abraham Lincoln in 1864.

Polk’s term in office featured several distinguished outcomes:

• Founding of the Smithsonian Institute
• Construction begins on the Washington Monument
• U.S. Naval Academy founded in Annapolis, Maryland
• Extension of the American northern border along the 49th parallel

After leaving the White House, James Polk’s life (1795-1949) was cut short due to illness.  He died a few months later, probably from cholera.  Taking only 27 days off during his term, Polk was a workaholic as President.  This quote from his diary reinforced how dedicated he was to his responsibilities as President:

“No President who performs his duty faithfully and conscientiously can have any leisure time.  I prefer to supervise the whole operations of the government myself rather than entrust the public business to subordinates, and this makes my duties very great.”

photographs courtesy of pinterest.

Answer to Brain Teaser Question

Maine