Presidents and First Ladies Trivia

[L Verge]

A+, Eva, it was indeed President Polk who was buried in a mass grave with 32 other cholera victims.

James Polk had been a popular president and a hard-working one. He had a lot on his plate during his term: Mexican War, acquisition of Pacific Northwest after threatening Britain, built a federal treasury system that worked for decades, and lowered national tariffs.

When his term ended in 1849, he and his wife, Sarah, headed for their home, Polk Place, in Nashville - but not immediately. They decided to take an extended trip through the South, starting in North Carolina, then South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, and Louisiana. Of course, there were festivities and receptions all along the way, which exhausted the already tired couple even more. By the time they reached New Orleans, they were ready to head home, but so many things had been planned for them by the city that they gave in and attended more receptions and a huge dinner. The next day, he was truly ill -- like many folks because a wave of cholera was sweeping the city.

The presidential pair headed for home, but were once again bombarded with invitations in Memphis. By the time they reached Paducah, Kentucky, Polk finally saw a doctor who inexplicably told him he did not have cholera. Three people on the Polks' boat had already died of it, and the doctor had read reports of the disease heading upriver with every ship from New Orleans.

By the time he reached Nashville and Polk Place, there was no saving him. He died on June 15, 1849, just 103 days after leaving office. As was the custom in trying to stop the spread of cholera, those who died at the same time were gathered up and buried in mass graves - including President Polk. His remains stayed in the city cemetery for nearly a year until a permanent tomb was constructed in front of his home.

This wasn't the end of the movable body of Polk, but I'll save that for another time -- or you can buy Dead Presidents and learn for yourself.