View source for Sarah Childress Polk

{{Short description|First Lady of the United States from 1845 to 1849}}
{{Infobox first lady
| image               = Polk sarah.jpg
| caption             = Portrait, 1883
| office              = [[First Lady of the United States]]
| president           = [[James K. Polk]]
| term_start          = March 4, 1845
| term_end            = March 4, 1849
| term_label          = In role
| predecessor         = [[Julia Gardiner Tyler]]
| successor           = [[Margaret Taylor]]
| office1             = First Lady of Tennessee
| governor1           = James K. Polk
| term_start1         = October 14, 1839
| term_end1           = October 15, 1841
| term_label1         = In role
| predecessor1        = Rachel Cannon
| successor1          = Sarah Jones
| birth_name          = Sarah Childress
| birth_date          = {{birth date|1803|9|4}}
| birth_place         = [[Murfreesboro, Tennessee]], U.S.
| death_date          = {{death date and age|1891|8|14|1803|9|4}}
| death_place         = [[Nashville, Tennessee]], U.S.
| restingplace        = [[Tennessee State Capitol]]<br>Nashville, Tennessee
| spouse              = {{marriage|[[James K. Polk|James Polk]]|1824|1849|end=died}}
| education           = [[Salem Academy]]
| relations           = [[Sarah Polk Fall]] (grandniece)
| signature           = Sarah Polk Signature.svg
}}
'''Sarah Childress Polk''' (September 4, 1803 – August 14, 1891) was the [[first lady of the United States]] from 1845 to 1849. She was the wife of the 11th [[president of the United States]], [[James K. Polk]].

Well educated in a successful family, Sarah met her future husband at a young age. They never had children of their own though they [[foster care|fostered]] relatives. Socially keen and well informed, Sarah helped her husband's career with her hosting skills and advised him on political matters at times, but she stayed out of the public limelight. Following her husband's death in 1849, Sarah had a 42-year widowhood, the longest of any First Lady.

==Early life and education==
[[Image:James K Polk and Sarah C Polk.jpg|thumb|left|Sarah and James K. Polk, c. 1848–1849]]
Sarah Childress was born in 1803 to Elizabeth Whitsitt and Joel Childress, a prominent [[Planter class|planter]], merchant, and land speculator—the third of their six children. She was well educated for a woman of her time and place, attending the exclusive [[Moravian Church|Moravians]]' [[Salem Academy]] in [[Winston-Salem, North Carolina]] in 1817, one of the few institutions of higher learning available to women in the early 19th century.

Sarah Childress met [[James K. Polk]] while both were receiving instruction from Samuel P. Black at his [[Thomas C. Black House|house]] in [[Murfreesboro, Tennessee]]; he was 19, she was 12. They would be formally introduced in the early 1820s with Polk's involvement with the State Legislature. Shortly after he began courting her, legend says [[Andrew Jackson]] called her "wealthy, pretty, ambitious, and intelligent," and urged Polk to marry her.<ref>[https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/first-ladies/sarahpolk.html Sarah Childress Polk.]{{Dead link|date=September 2025 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} James attended the University of North Carolina with Sarah's brother Anderson, so he could have reintroduced the couple. The White House. Retrieved on October 14, 2007.</ref> In 1823 the two became engaged, and on January 1, 1824, Sarah Childress, aged 20, married James Polk, aged 28, at the plantation home of the bride's parents near [[Murfreesboro, Tennessee|Murfreesboro.]]

They remained married for 25 years, and never had children. This is often attributed to the bladder stone surgery Polk had as a young man, which is thought to have made him sterile. They were the only presidential couple to never have children while together, biologically, adopted or from a previous marriage.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://mic.com/articles/49037/5-u-s-presidents-who-were-never-fathers#.pH2rXYflX|title=5 U.S. Presidents Who Were Never Fathers|access-date=2018-04-30}}</ref> They raised his nephew, Marshall Tate Polk (1831–1884), as their ward for a few years before James sent him to a school in [[Washington, D.C.]], and later [[Georgetown University]].<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=C8ufqRJuwy8C&q=Marshall+Tate+Polk,+Jr&pg=PA188|title=James K. Polk: A Biographical Companion|last=Byrnes|first=Mark Eaton|date=2001|publisher=ABC-CLIO|isbn=9781576070567}}</ref> After her husband's death, Sarah would [[foster care|foster]] her grand-niece, [[Sarah Polk Fall]] (1847–1924).

==Years of political life (1825–1849)==
[[File:Dolly MAdison.jpg|thumb|left|The Polks on the portico of the White House alongside Secretary of State [[James Buchanan]], and former first lady [[Dolley Madison]].]]
During his political career, Polk assisted her husband with his speeches, using her insight to guide his outlines and provide needed assurance. She accompanied her husband as often as she could whenever he made trips to Washington and made sure to take an active political role. She even copied down his correspondence and developed notable social skills. Mrs. Polk was not a woman who chose to proclaim her sentiment openly, striving to maintain a humble demeanor. It was her husband himself who declared that his most active supporter and critic was his wife. She also gave him advice on policy matters and played an active role in his campaigns. Mrs. Polk maintained correspondence with national leaders gaining access to global issues that were relevant to her husband's campaign.{{citation needed|date=September 2025}}

She was one of the first president's wives to take an active role in her husband's electoral process and campaign itself. Not only did she keep up with this measure of communication, but she also wrote for a local newspaper expressing her support for James Polk's administration and his proposed policy initiatives. One of the more controversial topics she was able to write about was on the idea of expansionism which delved into the concept of manifest destiny pertaining to the United States' rights as a sovereign power. In Washington as a congressman's wife during the administrations of [[John Quincy Adams]], [[Andrew Jackson]], and [[Martin Van Buren]], Polk very much enjoyed her social duties. Mrs. Polk was a religious woman who openly refused to dance, attend horse races, or theater. She took great pride in being a sociable woman but maintained a great sense of integrity. Though she did not drink herself, she made sure to serve a decadent selection of drinks and assorted foods during promotional dinners being the queen of hospitality. She was a woman who "enjoyed wide popularity as well as deep respect". In 1830 she risked a breach with Jackson, her husband's mentor, by taking part in the social ostracism of [[Peggy Eaton]], during the [[Petticoat affair]], although she continued to greet Eaton, unlike Vice President [[John C. Calhoun]]'s wife, [[Floride Calhoun]], and most of the cabinet members' wives.<ref>Schneider, D., & Schneider, C. J. (2010). ''First ladies: A biographical dictionary''. New York: Facts On File. p. 72. {{ISBN|1438127502}}</ref>

In 1845, Sarah Polk became the 11th First Lady of the United States. She was lively, charming, intelligent, and a good conversationalist. President Polk at times discussed policy matters with her. While she enjoyed politics, she also cautioned her husband, whose health was never robust, against overwork.<ref>Schneider, D., & Schneider, C. J. (2010). ''First ladies: A biographical dictionary''. New York: Facts On File. p. 73. {{ISBN|1438127502}}</ref> A devout [[Presbyterian]], as First Lady she banned dancing, card games, and hard liquor at official receptions.<ref>Schneider, D., & Schneider, C. J. (2010). ''First ladies: A biographical dictionary''. New York: Facts On File. pp. 75&ndash;76. {{ISBN|1438127502}}</ref> Unlike [[Julia Tyler]]'s waltzes, the Polk entertainments were sedate and sober affairs which earned the First Lady the nickname "Sahara Sarah".<ref>Schneider, D., & Schneider, C. J. (2010). ''First ladies: A biographical dictionary''. New York: Facts On File. p. 76. {{ISBN|1438127502}}</ref> 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.'"<ref>{{cite news
| title =Sarah Childress Polk – The White House
| quote =''Contrasted with Julia Tyler's waltzes, her entertainments have become famous for sedateness and sobriety. Some later accounts say that the Polks never served wine, but in December 1845 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." ''
| publisher = The White House
| url =https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/1600/first-ladies/sarahpolk
}}</ref>

== Later life ==
[[Image:Sarahdurry.gif.jpg |thumbnail|Polk in her later years|alt=|left]]After attending the [[Inauguration of Zachary Taylor|inauguration of]] [[Zachary Taylor]] on March 4, 1849, Polk and her husband left by horse and carriage to their new home, [[Polk Place]], in [[Nashville, Tennessee]]. Upon arriving in Tennessee, to Polk's disappointment, Polk Place was not yet fully finished. They then went from Nashville to [[Columbia, Tennessee|Columbia]] to spend two weeks with her mother-in-law before going to spend a few days in Murfreesboro with her family before returning to Nashville. Three months later, James Polk died of [[cholera]], having had the shortest retirement of any U.S. president. He was 53 years old.<ref>Portrait and biographical record of Stark county, Ohio: containing biographical sketches of prominent and representative citizens, together with biographies and portrait of all the presidents of the United States. 1892. p.60.</ref> 

Polk remained in [[Polk Place]] throughout these later years of her widowhood rarely leaving, becoming a bit of a recluse. She did not start hosting guests until a few years after her husband's death. She hosted distinguished and popular guests throughout her widowhood, such as [[Abram Hewitt]], [[Edward Cooper (mayor)|Edward Cooper]], [[John C. Calhoun II]], [[John Catron]], [[George Bancroft]], among numerous others, including Presidents [[Rutherford B. Hayes]] and [[Grover Cleveland]].<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/memorialssarahc00nelsgoog|quote=cooper.|title=Memorials of Sarah Childress Polk: Wife of the Eleventh President of the United States|last1=Nelson|first1=Anson|last2=Nelson|first2=Fanny|date=1892|publisher=A.D.F. Randolph|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/memorialssarahc00nelsgoog|quote=hayes.|title=Memorials of Sarah Childress Polk: Wife of the Eleventh President of the United States|last1=Nelson|first1=Anson|last2=Nelson|first2=Fanny|date=1892|publisher=A.D.F. Randolph|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/memorialssarahc00nelsgoog|quote=Cleveland .|title=Memorials of Sarah Childress Polk: Wife of the Eleventh President of the United States|last1=Nelson|first1=Anson|last2=Nelson|first2=Fanny|date=1892|publisher=A.D.F. Randolph|language=en}}</ref>[[File:SallyPolk.jpg|thumb|right|Sarah with her niece, [[Sarah Polk Fall|Sallie]]]]

Once widowed, Polk unofficially adopted a grandniece, [[Sarah Polk Fall|Sarah Polk Jetton]], nicknamed "Sallie" (1847–1924), and saw her as her own daughter. After Polk's niece died, she was brought to live with Polk. They lived together in Nashville until Polk's death in 1891 at the age of 87.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.jameskpolk.com/sarah-polk-biography.php|title=Sarah Childress Polk|publisher=James K. Polk Home|access-date=April 30, 2018}}</ref>

Polk faced small financial difficulties throughout her widowhood. Her primary form of income was coming in through a plantation she inherited from her husband. She was forced to sell the plantation before the Civil War in 1861. Later she received money through her younger brother John Childress. Starting in 1884 the United States government granted Sarah a pension of $5,000 (~${{Format price|{{Inflation|index=US|value=5000|start_year=1884}}}} in {{Inflation/year|US}}) a year until her death.<ref>The Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of  Notable Americans. 1904. p.</ref>

[[File:PolkPlace.jpg|left|thumb|[[Polk Place]]]]
During the [[American Civil War]], Polk was officially neutral, but she indicated sentiments in favor of preserving the Union during periodic visits to her home by several [[Union Army]] commanders, including [[Don Carlos Buell]], [[George Henry Thomas]], [[Ulysses S. Grant]], and [[William Tecumseh Sherman]]. However, as a traditional Southern woman she also gave mention to Confederate sympathies during visits from Confederate generals<ref>Anson Nelson, [https://books.google.com/books?id=gztAAAAAYAAJ&pg=PR11 Memorials of Sarah Childress Polk: Wife of the Eleventh President of the United States], 1892, pages 171-173</ref> in Nashville where Sarah would spend over 42 years of her widowhood. Sarah Polk lived at Polk Place for 42 years, the longest widowhood of any US first lady, and the longest retirement until [[Frances Cleveland]] exceeded her in 1939, and [[Rosalynn Carter]] (briefly) in 2023. As a true Victorian widow, Sarah always wore black in public. She visited her brother at his [[Childress-Ray House]] in Murfreesboro, whose daughter was married to Tennessee Governor [[John C. Brown]].<ref name="npsformchildressrayhouse">{{cite web|title=National Register of Historic Places Inventory--Nomination Form: Childress-Ray House|url=https://npgallery.nps.gov/GetAsset/0dc06e51-5544-4053-9f23-f773daa9a035|website=National Park Service|publisher=United States Department of the Interior|access-date=March 30, 2018}}</ref> She also frequently visited her close friend [[Adelicia Acklen]] at [[Belmont Mansion (Tennessee)|Belmont]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.civilwarshades.org/taking-care-of-business/adelicia-acklen/|title= Adelicia Acklen|website= Shades of Gray and Blue |access-date=2018-04-30}}</ref>

==  Death  ==
Polk died on August 14, 1891, at age 87. She was originally buried next to her husband at their home in Nashville and was later reinterred with him at the [[Tennessee State Capitol]] when Polk Place was demolished in 1901.<ref name=Burke2017>{{cite news |url=https://www.yahoo.com/news/plan-dig-president-polks-body-again-stirs-trouble-211555976.html |title=Plan to dig up President Polk's body – again – stirs trouble |first=Sheila |last=Burke |publisher=Yahoo |agency=Associated Press |date=March 24, 2017 |access-date=March 26, 2017 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/president-james-k-polk-resolution-to-move-body-approved/|title=Resolution to move former President James K. Polk's body approved|publisher=CBS News|date=March 28, 2017|access-date=March 16, 2021}}</ref> Polk left the contents of Polk Place to her grandniece, [[Sarah Polk Fall]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.jameskpolk.com/sarah-polk-biography.php|title=Sarah Childress Polk|publisher= James K. Polk Home|access-date=April 30, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{Cite encyclopedia|url=https://tennesseeencyclopedia.net/entries/james-k-polk-ancestral-home/|title=James K. Polk Ancestral Home|encyclopedia=Tennessee Encyclopedia|access-date=April 30, 2018}}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist|30em}}
*''Original text based on [https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/1600/first-ladies/sarahpolk White House biography]''
*[http://www.american-presidents.org/2006/12/sarah-polk.html Sarah Polk] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070928074713/http://www.american-presidents.org/2006/12/sarah-polk.html |date=2007-09-28 }}

==Further reading==
{{external media| float = right| video1 = [https://www.c-span.org/video/?457892-1/qa-amy-greenberg ''Q&A'' interview with Amy Greenberg on ''Lady First'', March 10, 2019], [[C-SPAN]]}} 
*{{cite book|last1=Bumgarner|first1=John R.|title=Sarah Childress Polk : a biography of the remarkable first lady|date=1997|publisher=McFarland|location=Jefferson, N.C.|isbn=9780786403660}}[https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/489124]
*{{cite book|last1=Claxton|first1=Jimmie Lou Sparkman|title=88 years with Sarah Polk|date=1972|publisher=Vantage Press|location=New York, N.Y.|isbn=9780533002221}}[https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/489124]
*{{cite book|last1=Peterson|first1=Barbara Bennett|title=Sarah Childress Polk, first lady of Tennessee and Washington|date=2002|publisher=Nova History Publications|location=Huntington, N.Y.|isbn=9781590331453}}[https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/48579518]
*{{cite book |last1=Greenberg |first1=Amy S. | author-link = Amy S. Greenberg |title=Lady First: The World of First Lady Sarah Polk |date=2019 |publisher=Alfred A. Knopf |location=New York |isbn=9780385354134|oclc=1028606805}}

==External links==
*[http://firstladies.c-span.org/FirstLady/13/Sarah-Polk.aspx Sarah Polk] at [[C-SPAN]]'s ''[[First Ladies: Influence & Image]]''
*[http://www.requestaprint.net/whitehouse/itemdetail.php?work_id=108&gallery_id=3]
{{s-start}}
{{s-hon}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Julia Gardiner Tyler|Julia Tyler]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=First Lady of the United States|years=1845–1849}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Margaret Taylor]]}}
{{s-end}}

{{US First Ladies}}
{{James K. Polk}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Polk, Sarah Childress}}
[[Category:1803 births]]
[[Category:1891 deaths]]
[[Category:19th-century American women]]
[[Category:19th-century Presbyterians]]
[[Category:American Presbyterians]]
[[Category:Women slave owners]]
[[Category:First ladies and gentlemen of Tennessee]]
[[Category:First ladies of the United States]]
[[Category:People from Murfreesboro, Tennessee]]
[[Category:Polk family|Sarah Childress]]
[[Category:People from Nashville, Tennessee]]
[[Category:Salem Academy alumni]]