James K. Polk Ohio Land Sale Announcement
This broadside announces the sale of public lands in the state of Ohio. The land office at Upper Sandusky has sixteen plots described, and the land office at Chillicothe has seven islands to sell. These offers last for two weeks. Under Polk’s printed signature, James Shields has appended a note about additional lands to be offered or reoffered at the Upper Sandusky land office.
Dates
- 1846 March 14
Conditions Governing Access
Collections are stored offsite and must be requested in advance. See www.special.lib.utk.edu for detailed information. Collections must be requested through a registered Special Collections research account.
Conditions Governing Use
The UT Libraries claims only physical ownership of most material in the collections. Persons wishing to broadcast or publish this material must assume all responsibility for identifying and satisfying any claimants on www.special.lib.utk.edu for detailed information. Collections must be requested through a registered Special Collections research account.
Extent
0.1 Linear Feet
Abstract
This broadside announces the sale of public lands in the state of Ohio. The land office at Upper Sandusky has sixteen plots described, and the land office at Chillicothe has seven islands to sell. These offers last for two weeks. Under Polk’s printed signature, James Shields has appended a note about additional lands to be offered or reoffered at the Upper Sandusky land office.
Biographical/Historical Note
James Shields was born in 1810 in Dungannon County, Ireland. He moved to the U.S. in 1826, and by 1832 he was practicing law in Illinois. He was elected to the Illinois House of Representatives in 1836, where he met Abraham Lincoln and became friends with him after nearly engaging in a duel with him. In 1843 he became an Illinois Supreme Court judge, but resigned in 1845 to serve as the commissioner of the U.S. General land Office. He fought in the Mexican War from 1846 to 1848, and then served as the governor of Oregon Territory in 1848 and 1849. He returned to Illinois and represented them in the U. S. Senate from 1849 to 1855, when he moved to Minnesota. He served in the U.S. Senate for Minnesota from 1858 to 1859 before moving to California. He was a Brigadier General in the Union Army from 1861 to 1863, and moved to Missouri sometime before serving in the Missouri House of Representatives in 1874. From January to March, 1879 he was back in the U.S. Senate, this time representing Missouri. Shields died on June 1, 1879 in Wapello County, Iowa.
James Knox Polk was born on November 2, 1795 in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina to Samuel and Jane (Knox) Polk. The family moved to Maury County, Tennessee in 1806. He graduated with honors from the University in Chapel Hill in 1818, studied law in Tennessee under Felix Grundy, and was admitted to the bar in 1820. In 1823, he was elected to the Tennessee House of Representatives, and married Sarah Childress on January 1, 1824. Polk was a U.S. Representative from 1825 until 1839, serving as the Speaker for the last four years of his term. In 1839 he was elected governor of Tennessee, but was defeated in 1841. He was elected president of the United States in 1844 and during his term he settled the issue of Oregon, declared war on Mexico over the issue of Texas, established the Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, began the Washington Monument, issued the first postage stamp, and did little to soothe the national turmoil over slavery. After completing his term of office, Polk retired to his new home in Nashville, Tennessee where he died three months later, on June 15, 1849.
Arrangement
This collection consists of a single folder.
Acquisition Note
Special Collections purchased this document in 1994.
Repository Details
Part of the Betsey B. Creekmore Special Collections and University Archives, University of Tennessee, Knoxville Repository