William Hawkins POLK, Congress, TN (1815-1862)
POLK, William Hawkins, (brother of James Knox Polk), a Representative from Tennessee; born in Maury County, Tenn., May 24, 1815; attended the city schools, Columbia, Tenn., and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1832 and 1833; was graduated from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville; studied law; was admitted to the bar in 1839 and commenced practice in Columbia, Tenn.; member of the State house of representatives 1842-1845; Minister to the Kingdom of Naples and served from March 13, 1845, to August 31, 1847; served as major of the Third Dragoons in the Mexican War in 1847 and 1848; elected as an Independent Democrat to the Thirty-second Congress (March 4, 1851-March 3, 1853); resumed the practice of law; died in Nashville, Tenn., December 16, 1862; interment in Greenwood Cemetery, Columbia, Tenn.
Bibliography
Bergeron, Paul H. âMy Brotherâs Keeper: William H. Polk Goes to School.â North Carolina Historical Review 44 (Spring 1967): 188-204.Source: Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, 1771-Present
