Dates in Office: 1845-1849
Important Information:
- Know as the first "dark horse"
- He was the last of the Jacksonians to occupy the White House
- Last strong president until Lincoln and the Civil War
- He threatened war with Britain over the Oregon Country
- Led to victory in the Mexican-American War, which then led to the acquisition of the Southwest
- Secured the Walker tariff of 1846
- He oversaw the opening of the U.S. Naval Academy & Smithsonian Institution as well as the Washington Monument groundbreaking
- The first postage stamp was issued under his term
- He did not run for reelection and died of cholera three months after his term as president ended