Polk Administration - Family Life
Family Life
Sarah Childress, daughter of a wealthy and prominent merchant, tavern owner, planter, and land speculator, was introduced to James Polk through her brother, his classmate at the University of North Carolina. She received the best schooling possible for a woman in her position at the time, having attended the Moravian Female Academy in Salem, North Carolina. After several years of courtship she and James Polk were married New Year's Day, 1824; she was 20 years old and he was 28. The wedding was held at the Childress plantation outside Murfreesboro and was considered one of the most important social events in Middle Tennessee.
As first lady Sarah Polk's principal responsibility was to administer to the social aspects of her husband's administration. In the course of entertaining the numerous guests who passed through the White House she developed a reputation for warmth, charm, and friendliness. This led many of...
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