Polk Family

The Polk family of North Carolina includes Leonidas Lafayette Polk, who was born in Anson County, North Carolina, on 24 April 1837, the son of farmer Andrew and Serena Autry Polk. Orphaned at age fourteen, Polk spent four years residing with relatives before entering Davidson College in the fall semester of 1855. Within ten months he had taken all available courses in science and agriculture. He returned to Anson County to operate several business ventures and farm family land using slaves inherited from his father. On 23 September 1857, Polk married Sarah Pamela Gaddy, the daughter of an Anson County planter. The Polks had seven children, one son who died in infancy and six daughters.

Polk held several positions in North Carolina government. He was elected to the state legislature in 1860 and 1864, served as a colonel with two North Carolina regiments in the Army of Northern Virginia during the Civil War, and attended the state constitutional convention in 1865. Beginning in the 1870s, Polk began advocating for the creation of a state Department of Agriculture. When such a department was established in 1877, he became its first commissioner, a position he held until 1880.

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