James G. Polk Explained

Image Name:James G. Polk crop.jpg
Caption:Leaving White House, March 7, 1938.
State:Ohio
District:6th
Term Start:March 4, 1931
Term End:January 3, 1941
Preceded:Charles Cyrus Kearns
Succeeded:Jacob E. Davis
Term Start2:January 3, 1949
Term End2:April 28, 1959
Preceded2:Edward Oscar McCowen
Succeeded2:Ward Miller
Birth Name:James Gould Polk
Birth Date:6 October 1896
Birth Place:Highland County, Ohio
Death Place:Washington, D.C.
Restingplace:Highland Cemetery, Highland, Ohio
Party:Democratic
Alma Mater:Ohio State University

James Gould Polk (October 6, 1896  - April 28, 1959) was a prominent U.S. politician of the Democratic Party during the middle of the 20th century.

A native of Highland County, Ohio, Polk grew up on a farm and graduated from high school in New Vienna, Ohio. He did not serve during World War I because of a physical disability, and graduated from Ohio State University in 1919.

left|250px|thumb|Group of legislators leaves White House after asking Franklin D. Roosevelt for $80,000,000 for flood control in Ohio Valley, March 7, 1938. front: l-r Joseph A. Dixon, James G. Polk, Eugene B. Crowe, G. W. Johnson, Lawrence E. Imhoff, rear l-r : Peter J. De Muth, Kent E. Keller, Brent Spence.Polk worked as a school administrator in small towns in Ohio during the 1920s, and was first elected to office in 1930, as a U.S. Congressman from Ohio's 6th District. He won five elections in a row before stepping down in 1941.

During World War II, Polk worked as a special assistant in the U.S. Department of Agriculture in Washington, D.C.

After the war, Polk re-entered politics, and won back his old Congressional seat in the 1948 election. He remained in Congress until his death.

Polk died of cancer on April 28, 1959, in Washington, D.C.[1] His remains are buried in Highland Cemetery in Highland, Ohio.

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Notes and References

  1. Web site: Rep. J. G. Polk, Ill Two Years, Dies at Age 62 . Chicago Tribune . April 29, 1959.