American Cincinnatus

James K. Polk was Old Hickory’s boy. Andrew Jackson knew him as a child, mentored him in politics and, in the end, helped make him president. Jackson was a family friend of the Polks in Tennessee and a guest at the family home while young James was growing up. Polk’s wife Sarah had known him even longer. She and her siblings called him Uncle Andrew. In 1823, Polk was a young state legislator when Tennessee deadlocked over a U.S. Senate seat. Polk broke with his own allies and cast his vote for Jackson, who won. It was the start of a political bond that lasted the rest of Jackson’s life. From then on, Polk was Jackson’s man. When Old Hickory became president, Polk led his fights in Congress. Jackson treated him almost like a son and his colleagues started calling him Young Hickory. And Jackson took care of his boy. In 1835, he lobbied behind the scenes to make Polk Speaker of the House. He even sent Polk a letter about it with instructions to burn it after reading. In 1844, the old general summoned Polk to the Hermitage and told him he should be the next president. That November, he was. On his way to Washington, Polk stopped at the Hermitage to see Jackson one last time. At his inauguration, he quoted Old Hickory’s famous toast: “Our Federal Union, it must be preserved.” Jackson died soon after, but he lived to see Young Hickory follow in his footsteps to the White House.