Trusten Polk | |
|---|---|
 | |
| United States Senator from Missouri | |
| In office March 4, 1857 – January 10, 1862 | |
| Preceded by | Henry S. Geyer |
| Succeeded by | John B. Henderson |
| 12th Governor of Missouri | |
| In office January 5, 1857 – February 27, 1857 | |
| Lieutenant | Hancock Lee Jackson |
| Preceded by | Sterling Price |
| Succeeded by | Hancock Lee Jackson |
| Personal details | |
| Born | May 29, 1811 Bridgeville, Delaware, U.S. |
| Died | April 16, 1876 (aged 64) St. Louis, Missouri, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Elizabeth Skinner |
| Education | Yale University (BA) |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | Confederate States |
| Branch/service | Confederate States Army |
| Rank | Colonel |
| Unit | Missouri State Guard |
| Battles/wars | American Civil War |
Trusten W. Polk (May 29, 1811 – April 16, 1876) served as the 12th Governor of Missouri in 1857 and U.S. Senator from 1857 to 1862.
Polk was born in Bridgeville, Delaware. A Democrat, he was elected Governor of Missouri in 1856 and served from January 5, 1857, until February 27 when he resigned to become a U.S. Senator. Hancock Lee Jackson succeeded him as governor until the election of Robert Marcellus Stewart.
Polk was expelled from the U.S. Senate January 10, 1862, for his support of the South in the American Civil War. He was appointed as a colonel in the Missouri State Guard under the command of Confederate General Sterling Price, and later served as a judge in the military courts of the Department of Mississippi in 1864 and 1865.[1]
After the war, Polk was a lawyer in St. Louis, Missouri. He is buried there in Bellefontaine Cemetery following his death on April 16, 1876, aged 64.
