Sarah Childress Polk
Ambitious First Lady – The Tennessee Years
Sarah Childress Polk (1803-91) was an interesting woman indeed. The wife of eleventh president James K. Polk, Sarah served as her husband's advisor and even influenced many of his policies. In fact, Mrs. Polk was highly educated and had many opinions about political issues, which she expressed frequently. As husband and wife, James and Sarah Polk had a unique partnership.
The Beginning of a Remarkable Life
Sarah Childress was born on September 4, 1803, in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. She was the daughter of Joel Childress and Elizabeth (Whitsett) Childress. Sarah was the third of four children. Joel and Elizabeth had two sons, Anderson and John, and another daughter, Susan. Sarah's father was a wealthy planter and could afford to give his children the best of everything, including education. Sarah and Susan Childress were sent to the Moravian Female Academy in Salem, North Carolina. This higher education endowed the future first lady with a distinctive set of Presbyterian beliefs that would heavily influence her years in the White House.
Connections
When Sarah – a bright, attractive, intelligent, and ambitious young woman – returned home to Murfreesboro, the small frontier town had changed greatly. Murfreesboro was in the running to become Tennessee's capital, and the state legislature had begun meeting in its courthouse. There, a young lawyer and friend of one of Sarah's brothers was working as chief clerk of the state senate. His name was James K. Polk, and he and Sarah had become interested in each other after meeting several times at parties and receptions. James, however, was very politically ambitious and felt that he did not have time to pursue a serious relationship with Sarah. It took some nudging from his mentor-- Andrew Jackson-- for James to take the relationship to the next level. Jackson said to Polk, "That girl is wealthy, pretty, ambitious, and intelligent. Stop dilly-dallying, and get married." Polk listened, and Sarah and mother Elizabeth began making plans for a lavish wedding.
A Star-Studded Affair
James and Sarah were married on New Year's Day, 1824, at the Childress plantation. The guest list read like a Who's Who of Tennessee Politics. For example, one of the guests was James' new colleague-- one Colonel David Crockett. Following the ceremony, guests enjoyed a seven-course dinner. The customary round of parties lasted for five days. Finally, James took Sarah to his hometown of Columbia, Tennessee, to meet her in-laws, whom she had never met but won over immediately. Afterward, the couple moved into a two-room cottage in Tennessee's new capital, Nashville. The marriage may have been off to a humble start for a woman from an aristocratic background, but James was a rising star in the Democratic Party. James ran as a Democratic candidate for Congress in 1824 and lost. This did not matter, though. Bigger and better things were in store for the Polks.
Source:
Harris, Bill. The First Ladies Fact Book, p. 173-78. New York: Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers, Inc., 2005.
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