Presidents in Retirement: James K. Polk
James K. Polk had the briefest retirement of any former President. While he managed to survive the Presidency, unlike the eight President who died in office, his retirement lasted only 102 days from March 5, 1849 until June 15 of that year, the date of his death.
Polk attended the inauguration of his successor, Zachary Taylor, on March 5. Prior to 1937, March 4 was inauguration day unless it fell on a Sunday, as it did in 1849, so Polk had an extra day in office. Polk recorded in his diary that he thought Taylor was a poor choice for the Presidency, but he nevertheless wished Taylor well.)
James K. Polk in 1849
Polk was a micromanager and a workaholic as president. His time in the White House took its toll on his health and left him exhausted. He left Washington the day after Taylor's inauguration on March 6. He had planned for for a pre-arranged triumphal tour in which he was scheduled to stop in a number of southern cities where he would be feted and would give farewell speeches, with the final stop being at his home in Nashville. In 1847 Polk had arranged to buy a house there that had once belonged to his mentor, Felix Grundy. The home was called Polk Place.
James and Sarah Polk started their long journey home traveling down the Atlantic coast, before heading west through a number of southern states. At a number of stops, Polk was welcomed enthusiastically and banquets were held in his honor. But by the time the Polks reached Alabama, James Polk was suffering from a bad cold,. At the time there were reports that cholera was spreading and in fact when Polk was on a leg of his journey home, one of the passengers on his riverboat had died from the disease. The disease was reported to be spreading through New Orleans, one of the stops on Polk's farewell tour. Polk was worried about the possibility of contracting the disease, but he opted not to offend his hosts who offered him some good Louisiana hospitality. He continued on his journey by riverboat up along the Mississippi, and was distressed to learn that several more passengers on the riverboat had died of the disease. This concerned Polk so much that he went ashore for four days, staying in a hotel. He sought medical advice and was assured by a doctor that he did not have cholera. On April 2, less than a month after he had left Washington, Polk finally arrived in Nashville and was met by a huge reception.
The Polks visited James's mother in Columbia, after which they settled into their new home of Polk Place. By now James Polk was exhausted from all of the travel, but some initial rest seemed to help. However his health took a turn for the worse in early June, when he fell ill again. This time it was believed that he was no suffering from cholera. Polk was seen by several doctors. He remained in poor health, and now he believed that he was nearing the end. Polk, who had never been baptized, npw chose to be baptized into the Methodist Church. This displeased his mother, who arrived from Columbia with a Presbyterian minister. Polk's wife Sarah was also a devout Presbyterian.
On the afternoon of Friday, June 15, Polk died at his Polk Place home in Nashville, Tennessee. He was only 53 years of age, but looked much older. According to some accounts, his last words before he died were "I love you, Sarah, for all eternity, I love you." As Polk's biographer Walter Borneman wrote in his 2008 book entitled Polk: The Man Who Transformed the Presidency and America: "Even if this utterance was embellished, there was nothing in Polk's life to suggest that the sentiment behind it was not true."
Polk's funeral was held at the McKendree Methodist Church in Nashville. He was survived by his wife Sarah Polk, who lived at Polk Place for 42 years. She died on August 14, 1891, at the age of 87 and her story is also a remarkable one in itself. Their house, Polk Place, was demolished in 1901. The James K. Polk Presidential Museum, located in Columbia, Tennessee, is now often referred to as Polk Place.
Polk's story doesn't end there. He was not allowed to "rest in peace" as his remains have been relocated on two occasions (with a possible third in the future.) After his death, he was buried in what is now Nashville City Cemetery in a section in which those who died from cholera were lawfully required to be interred. His remains were later moved to a tomb on the grounds of Polk Place (as specified in his will) in 1850. Then, in 1893, the bodies of James and Sarah Polk were relocated to their current resting place on the grounds of the Tennessee State Capitol in Nashville.
In March 2017, the Tennessee Senate approved a resolution approving the relocation of the Polks' remains to the Polk Family Home in Columbia. But the final approval to relocate must be made by state lawmakers, the courts, and the Tennessee Historical Commission. In 2018 a revised plan to reinter Polk was defeated by Tennessee lawmakers. It was taken up again and approved. The state's Capitol Commission heard arguments over the issue in November 2018, during which the THC reiterated its opposition to the tomb relocation. So for now, the Polks can continue to rest in erstwhile peace on the grounds of the Tennessee state house.