Sarah Childress Polk
Encyclopedia
Sarah Childress Polk was the wife of the 11th President of the United States
, James Polk, and the 12th woman to serve as First Lady
. Sarah was born in 1803 to Joel Childress, a prominent planter, merchant, and land speculator, and Elizabeth Whitsitt Childress—the third of their six children. Sarah was well educated for a woman of her time and place, attending the exclusive Moravian Female Academy at Salem, North Carolina
. She was then schooled at what is now Salem College
in Winston-Salem, North Carolina
, one of the few institutions of higher learning available to women in the early 19th century.
She met Polk while both were receiving instruction from Samuel P. Black in Murfreesboro; he was 19, she was 12. Several years later Polk began courting her, and in 1823 the two became engaged. Sarah Childress, aged 20, married James Polk, aged 28, on January 1, 1824, at the plantation home of the bride's parents near Murfreesboro, Tennessee. The Polks had no children of their own, but raised a nephew, Marshall Tate Polk (1831–1884) as their personal ward. After her husband's death, Mrs. Polk assumed guardianship of an orphaned niece, Sarah Polk Jetton (1847–1924), and raised the girl as her own.
In Washington as congressman's wife during the administrations of John Quincy Adams
, Andrew Jackson
, and Martin Van Buren
, Mrs. Polk very much enjoyed her social duties. She risked a breach with Jackson, her husband's mentor, by taking part in the social ostracism of Peggy Eaton.
Sarah Polk was lively, charming, intelligent, and a good conversationalist. President Polk at times discussed policy matters with her. Sarah helped James with his speeches in private, copied his correspondence, and gave him advice. While she enjoyed politics, she also cautioned him against overwork. A devout Presbyterian, she as First Lady banned dancing and hard liquor at official receptions and refused to attend horse races or the theatre. She hosted the first annual Thanksgiving
dinner at the White House
.
Only 41 when her husband became president, Sarah Polk outlived several of her successors: Margaret Taylor
, Abigail Fillmore
, Jane Pierce
, Mary Todd Lincoln
, Eliza Johnson and Lucy Webb Hayes
. Only a handful of first ladies have lived longer -- Anna Harrison
, Edith Bolling Wilson
, Betty Ford
, Lady Bird Johnson
, and Bess Truman
. Only three months after retirement to their new home "Polk Place
" in Nashville, James Polk died. (He had the shortest retirement of any former US President).
Contrasted with Julia Tyler's waltzes, the Polk entertainments were noted for sedateness and sobriety. Although some accounts stated that the Polks never served wine
, a Congressman's wife recorded in her diary details of a four-hour dinner for forty at the White House—glasses for six different wines, from pink champagne to ruby port and sauterne, "formed a rainbow around each plate." Mrs. Polk was said to be popular and respected.
She retired with the former president to Nashville, Tennessee
, where she remained after his death in 1849. During the American Civil War
, she supported the Confederacy
. Sarah Polk lived on in that home for 42 years. She lived through the longest retirement and widowhood of any former US First Lady, and wore black always. She died on August 14, 1891, at age 87. She was buried next to the president at their home in Nashville and was later reinterred with him at the state capitol.
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
, James Polk, and the 12th woman to serve as First Lady
First Lady of the United States
First Lady of the United States is the title of the hostess of the White House. Because this position is traditionally filled by the wife of the president of the United States, the title is most often applied to the wife of a sitting president. The current first lady is Michelle Obama.-Current:The...
. Sarah was born in 1803 to Joel Childress, a prominent planter, merchant, and land speculator, and Elizabeth Whitsitt Childress—the third of their six children. Sarah was well educated for a woman of her time and place, attending the exclusive Moravian Female Academy at Salem, North Carolina
Salem, North Carolina
Salem is a census-designated place in Burke County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 2,923 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Hickory–Lenoir–Morganton Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:...
. She was then schooled at what is now Salem College
Salem College
Salem College is a liberal arts women's college in Winston-Salem, North Carolina founded in 1772. Originally established as a primary school, it later became an academy and finally a college. It is the oldest female educational establishment that is still a women's college...
in Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Winston-Salem is a city in the U.S. state of North Carolina, with a 2010 population of 229,617. Winston-Salem is the county seat and largest city of Forsyth County and the fourth-largest city in the state. Winston-Salem is the second largest municipality in the Piedmont Triad region and is home to...
, one of the few institutions of higher learning available to women in the early 19th century.
She met Polk while both were receiving instruction from Samuel P. Black in Murfreesboro; he was 19, she was 12. Several years later Polk began courting her, and in 1823 the two became engaged. Sarah Childress, aged 20, married James Polk, aged 28, on January 1, 1824, at the plantation home of the bride's parents near Murfreesboro, Tennessee. The Polks had no children of their own, but raised a nephew, Marshall Tate Polk (1831–1884) as their personal ward. After her husband's death, Mrs. Polk assumed guardianship of an orphaned niece, Sarah Polk Jetton (1847–1924), and raised the girl as her own.
In Washington as congressman's wife during the administrations of John Quincy Adams
John Quincy Adams
John Quincy Adams was the sixth President of the United States . He served as an American diplomat, Senator, and Congressional representative. He was a member of the Federalist, Democratic-Republican, National Republican, and later Anti-Masonic and Whig parties. Adams was the son of former...
, Andrew Jackson
Andrew Jackson
Andrew Jackson was the seventh President of the United States . Based in frontier Tennessee, Jackson was a politician and army general who defeated the Creek Indians at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend , and the British at the Battle of New Orleans...
, and Martin Van Buren
Martin Van Buren
Martin Van Buren was the eighth President of the United States . Before his presidency, he was the eighth Vice President and the tenth Secretary of State, under Andrew Jackson ....
, Mrs. Polk very much enjoyed her social duties. She risked a breach with Jackson, her husband's mentor, by taking part in the social ostracism of Peggy Eaton.
Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving Day is a holiday celebrated primarily in the United States and Canada. Thanksgiving is celebrated each year on the second Monday of October in Canada and on the fourth Thursday of November in the United States. In Canada, Thanksgiving falls on the same day as Columbus Day in the...
dinner at the White House
White House
The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
.
Only 41 when her husband became president, Sarah Polk outlived several of her successors: Margaret Taylor
Margaret Taylor
Margaret Mackall Smith "Peggy" Taylor , wife of Zachary Taylor, was First Lady of the United States from 1849 to 1850.-Early Life and Marriage:...
, Abigail Fillmore
Abigail Fillmore
Abigail Powers Fillmore , wife of Millard Fillmore, was First Lady of the United States from 1850 to 1853.Abigail was born in Stillwater, New York, 1798, in Saratoga County, New York. She was the daughter of the Reverend Lemuel Powers, a Baptist minister, and Abigail Newland-Powers, Abigail grew...
, Jane Pierce
Jane Pierce
Jane Means Appleton Pierce , wife of U.S. President Franklin Pierce, was First Lady of the United States from 1853 to 1857....
, Mary Todd Lincoln
Mary Todd Lincoln
Mary Ann Lincoln was the wife of the 16th President of the United States, Abraham Lincoln, and was First Lady of the United States from 1861 to 1865.-Life before the White House:...
, Eliza Johnson and Lucy Webb Hayes
Lucy Webb Hayes
Lucille "Lucy" Ware Webb Hayes was a First Lady of the United States and the wife of President Rutherford B. Hayes.Historians have christened her "Lemonade Lucy" due to her staunch support of the temperance movement...
. Only a handful of first ladies have lived longer -- Anna Harrison
Anna Harrison
Anna Tuthill Symmes Harrison , wife of President William Henry Harrison and grandmother of President Benjamin Harrison, was nominally First Lady of the United States during her husband's one-month term in 1841, but she never entered the White House.-Early Life and Marriage:Anna was born at her...
, Edith Bolling Wilson
Edith Bolling Wilson
Edith Bolling Galt Wilson , second wife of U.S. President Woodrow Wilson, was First Lady of the United States from 1915 to 1921. She has been labeled "the Secret President" and "the first woman to run the government" for the role she played when her husband suffered prolonged and disabling illness...
, Betty Ford
Betty Ford
Elizabeth Ann Bloomer Warren Ford , better known as Betty Ford, was First Lady of the United States from 1974 to 1977 during the presidency of her husband Gerald Ford...
, Lady Bird Johnson
Lady Bird Johnson
Claudia Alta "Lady Bird" Taylor Johnson was First Lady of the United States from 1963 to 1969 during the presidency of her husband Lyndon B. Johnson. Throughout her life, she was an advocate for beautification of the nation's cities and highways and conservation of natural resources and made that...
, and Bess Truman
Bess Truman
Bess Truman , was the wife of Harry S. Truman and First Lady of the United States from 1945 to 1953.-Early life:...
. Only three months after retirement to their new home "Polk Place
Polk Place
Polk Place was the home of 11th President of the United States James K. Polk. It was his final residence, and was demolished in 1900. His tomb was located here until 1893, when it was moved to the Tennessee State Capitol. It was located in Nashville, Tennessee. An iron fountain was preserved...
" in Nashville, James Polk died. (He had the shortest retirement of any former US President).
Contrasted with Julia Tyler's waltzes, the Polk entertainments were noted for sedateness and sobriety. Although some accounts stated that the Polks never served wine
Wine
Wine is an alcoholic beverage, made of fermented fruit juice, usually from grapes. The natural chemical balance of grapes lets them ferment without the addition of sugars, acids, enzymes, or other nutrients. Grape wine is produced by fermenting crushed grapes using various types of yeast. Yeast...
, a Congressman's wife recorded in her diary details of a four-hour dinner for forty at the White House—glasses for six different wines, from pink champagne to ruby port and sauterne, "formed a rainbow around each plate." Mrs. Polk was said to be popular and respected.
She retired with the former president to Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
, where she remained after his death in 1849. During the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
, she supported the Confederacy
Confederate States of America
The Confederate States of America was a government set up from 1861 to 1865 by 11 Southern slave states of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S...
. Sarah Polk lived on in that home for 42 years. She lived through the longest retirement and widowhood of any former US First Lady, and wore black always. She died on August 14, 1891, at age 87. She was buried next to the president at their home in Nashville and was later reinterred with him at the state capitol.