Passed Vice Presidents - # 11 – George M. Dallas

Grave of George Dallas (9 February 2024)

Served under James K. Polk

4 March 1845 – 4 March 1849

Preceded by # 10 – John Tyler

Succeeded by # 12 – Millard Fillmore

Born – 10 July 1792

Died – 31 December 1864 (age 72)

Buried – St. Peters Episcopal Church, Philadelphia, PA

Date Visited – 9 February 2024

George Dallas, President James Polk’s Number Two, was not plucked from obscurity like some of our recent VPs were. He was the son of James Madison’s Secretary of the Treasury. He was the mayor of Philadelphia, the U.S. Attorney for Eastern Pennsylvania, the Attorney General of Pennsylvania, a U.S. senator from Pennsylvania and the country’s minister to Russia all before he became vice president.

St. Peter’s Church, Philadelphia, PA (9 February 2024)

The presidential election of 1844 continued to plow new legal ground. The Whig incumbent, John Tyler, the ‘Accidental President,’ the first VP to ascend to the office after the Big Dog dies, had offended enough of the party faithful that they refused to nominate him. Kentuckian Henry Clay led the Whig ticket.

Vice President George Dallas in 1848

With the arrival of photography, we no longer relied

on the interpretations of painters and wonder how close

a representation was to the subject’s actual appearance.

In another nod to bygone practices, the 1844 Democratic convention nominated another man to be James Polk’s running mate. When that man declined the offer, they then approved George Dallas as the VP candidate. Back home in Philadelphia, Mr. Dallas had to be awakened the next day to be told of his new position.

Four state counties and that big city in Texas are named after the vice president. He was also a big proponent of our nation’s ‘Manifest Destiny.’ He believed we should have taken all of the Oregon Territory and annexed all of Mexico after that war. Negotiations settled the disputes more amicably.

Portion of the Tablet Over the Grave of

Vice President George Dallas. St. Peter’s Church,

Philadelphia, PA (9 February 2024)

Knowing that President Polk was not running for a second term, Dallas was planning to run in 1848. However, as vice president, he cast the tie-breaking vote on a tariff bill. Sadly, lower tariffs did not sit well with his Pennsylvania base and any elective prospects after that unfortunate vote were toast. He did serve as President Buchanan’s minster to England before retiring from public service. He died of a heart attack at age seventy-two.