First Lady Sarah Childress Polk

Wife of James Knox Polk, 11th President of the United States

May 29, 2009

Sarah Polk enjoyed the political life and was a great help to her husband while he was in office, writing speeches, tending to correspondence and other matters.

Sarah Childress was born into a strict Presbyterian family and as First Lady she would not allow dancing nor would she receive visitors on Sunday. She was born on September 4, 1803, to Joel (a militia officer) and Elizabeth Childress, on a wealthy plantation near Murfreesboro, Tennessee.

Sarah Childress' Education

Sarah was tutored at first locally, but was later sent to Salem, North Carolina, where she received a very fine education at the Moravian Female Academy. This proved to be very helpful in her efforts to advise her husband when he became president. She was well read and kept up to the demands of her position.

Sarah Meets James Polk

Although she had met Polk when she was a child, she encountered him again shortly after her father died. At that time James was the clerk of the Tennessee State Senate. He proposed marriage and Sarah agreed on the condition that he must win a seat in the state senate. He managed to do this, and they were married on January 1,1842

The Presidency

James Polk went on to become Speaker of the House of Representatives, and Sarah enjoyed her time in Washington. When inaugurated president in 1845, Sarah asked him to serve only one term as he was rather frail and did not have great stamina. As First Lady, she read all the newspapers for him, took care of his correspondence, kept him informed on current affairs and also monitored his health.

White House Social Events

While she was against dancing and having visitors on the Sabbath, she enjoyed elegant clothes and furnishings. Her parities were always successful events and she was very popular with the people of Washington. After his term in office as the president, James and Sarah retired to Polk Place, in Nashville, Tennessee. Unfortunately, he lived only three months, dying of cholera on June 15,1849, leaving Sarah a widow at the age of forty-five. She dressed in mourning for the rest of her life, and outlived James by forty-two years. Sarah was the presidential wife who started the tradition of the band playing Hail to the Chief at all presidential appearances.

In 1877 she received a visit from President Rutherford B.Hayes, and in 1888 President Grover Cleveland called on her at Polk Place. In 1877she was honored by being asked to turn the switch that brought electricity to Cincinnati, Ohio.

The copyright of the article First Lady Sarah Childress Polk in American History is owned by Anya Laurence. Permission to republish First Lady Sarah Childress Polk in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.