James Knox Polk was born on a farm in Pineville, North Carolina, on November 2, 1795. Small and sickly, Polk was spared hard farm chores but did learn to help his father manage and survey land. In 1815, he entered the University of North Carolina. He graduated at the top of his class. After just one year of study, he was admitted to the bar in 1820 to practice law. Polk opened a thriving law practice in Tennessee. Polk soon found interest in politics. In 1823, he was elected to the Tennessee legislature. In 1825, he was elected to his first of seven congressional terms. He became speaker of the House in 1835. An extremely hard worker, Polk was absent only once during his 14 years as a congressman. Andrew Jackson persuaded Polk to run for governor of Tennessee in 1839. He won the election but failed to regain the office in the next two elections.