James K. Polk

About James K. Polk

James K. Polk, the 11th President of the United States (1845–1849), secured his position as the 209th most historically important figure by presiding over one of the most transformative-and geographically expansive-periods in American history. He successfully achieved his primary political goals, including resolving the Oregon boundary dispute with Great Britain, leading the nation through the Mexican-American War, and subsequently acquiring vast territories that constitute much of the modern Southwest and California.

Despite this significant historical footprint, Polk's contemporary digital footprint suggests a relative neglect. He garnered 1.0 million Wikipedia views in 2025, a figure that is about 2x lower than what would be expected given his HPI rank of #209, indicating a clear 'overattention' gap where digital interest lags behind historical significance. To contextualize this, Polk's 1.0M views are significantly less than those received by much less historically ranked politicians like Nikita Khrushchev (#368 importance) who secured 1.8M views in the same year.

Furthermore, the data indicates a waning contemporary interest, with his pageviews dropping by 2.9% year-over-year and showing a sharp 18% decline in momentum between Q1 and Q3 of 2025, suggesting a slow fade from current public awareness.