James Knox Polk Worked For 12 Hours a Day

Polk declared in a letter to Cave Johnson that “I plan to be myself President of the United States” before ever taking office. He would have a reputation for being a hard worker who would regularly spend ten to twelve hours at his desk without leaving Washington. He didn't often take a day off. Not only that, but he only took 27 days off during his time as president.

Polk penned, “A president who diligently and responsibly discharges his duties cannot have any downtime. My responsibilities are extremely heavy since I want to personally oversee all government operations rather than delegating responsibility for doing official business to others”. Polk became the youngest president to that point when he took office on March 4, 1845, at the age of 49. Polk's inauguration was the first presidential inauguration to be covered by the telegraph and included in a newspaper graphic (in The Illustrated London News).