James Knox Polk (November 2, 1795 - June 15, 1849) was the 11th President of the USA (1845-49). A Democrat, Polk served as the 17th Speaker of the House of Representatives (1835-39) and Governor of Tennessee (1839-41). He was the last strong pre-Civil War president, and the earliest of whom there are surviving photographs taken during a term in office. He is noted for his foreign policy successes. He threatened war with Britain over the issue of which nation owned the Oregon Country. When Mexico rejected American annexation of Texas, he led the nation to a sweeping victory in the Mexican-American War. He secured passage of the Walker tariff of 1846, which had low rates that pleased his native South, and he established a treasury system that lasted until 1913. He oversaw the opening of the US Naval Academy and the Smithsonian Institution, the groundbreaking for the Washington Monument, and the issuance of the first postage stamps in the US. He promised to serve only one term and did not run for reelection. He died of cholera three months after his term ended at the age of 53. Polk has been called the "least known consequential president" of the United States.