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LTC Marshall Tate Polk Jr.

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LTC Marshall Tate Polk Jr.

Birth
Charlotte, Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, USA
Death
29 Feb 1884 (aged 52)
Nashville, Davidson County, Tennessee, USA
Burial
Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tennessee, USA
Memorial ID
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Marshall Tate Polk, Jr. was the nephew and legal ward of President James K. Polk. He was the son of President Polk's brother, Marshall Tate Polk (1805-1831), who died one month before the child's birth. He attended Georgetown University and was a West Point graduate in 1852. Polk served during the Civil War as a Colonel and artillery commander in the Army of Tennessee. He lost a leg at the Battle of Shiloh in 1862.

After the war, Marshall Polk lived on a farm near Bolivar, Tennessee and published the Bolivar Bulletin. He first entered the political field in 1876, attending the Democratic National Convention as a delegate, and the next year he began serving the first of three terms as Tennessee state treasurer.

It was later determined that Polk had been embezzling for five of his six years in office. He attempted to flee to Mexico prior to the trial, but was caught and returned to Tennessee. He was found guilty and sentenced to prison. Polk died of heart disease shortly before his appeal was to be heard before the Tennessee Supreme Court.

The following entry is transcribed from the diary of John Hughes Henderson, Sr.:

"March 1, 1884 The news came this morning that Col. Marsch T. Polk ex-Treasurer of Tennessee died at his home in Nashville, TN last night at 8 o'clock. This ends the criminal prosecution against him. His case has been set for trial before the Supreme Court on March 4." Source: Williamson County Historical Society Journal No. 33 dated 2002 compiled by Rick Warwick. Quote submitted by Contributor: Linda Moore Mora (48168017).
Marshall Tate Polk, Jr. was the nephew and legal ward of President James K. Polk. He was the son of President Polk's brother, Marshall Tate Polk (1805-1831), who died one month before the child's birth. He attended Georgetown University and was a West Point graduate in 1852. Polk served during the Civil War as a Colonel and artillery commander in the Army of Tennessee. He lost a leg at the Battle of Shiloh in 1862.

After the war, Marshall Polk lived on a farm near Bolivar, Tennessee and published the Bolivar Bulletin. He first entered the political field in 1876, attending the Democratic National Convention as a delegate, and the next year he began serving the first of three terms as Tennessee state treasurer.

It was later determined that Polk had been embezzling for five of his six years in office. He attempted to flee to Mexico prior to the trial, but was caught and returned to Tennessee. He was found guilty and sentenced to prison. Polk died of heart disease shortly before his appeal was to be heard before the Tennessee Supreme Court.

The following entry is transcribed from the diary of John Hughes Henderson, Sr.:

"March 1, 1884 The news came this morning that Col. Marsch T. Polk ex-Treasurer of Tennessee died at his home in Nashville, TN last night at 8 o'clock. This ends the criminal prosecution against him. His case has been set for trial before the Supreme Court on March 4." Source: Williamson County Historical Society Journal No. 33 dated 2002 compiled by Rick Warwick. Quote submitted by Contributor: Linda Moore Mora (48168017).

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  • Maintained by: CMWJR
  • Added: Nov 29, 2001
  • Find a Grave Memorial ID:
  • Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/6005881/marshall_tate-polk: accessed ), memorial page for LTC Marshall Tate Polk Jr. (15 May 1831–29 Feb 1884), Find a Grave Memorial ID 6005881, citing Polk Cemetery, Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tennessee, USA; Maintained by CMWJR (contributor 50059520).