Martin Van Buren

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Martin Van Buren 8th President of the United States (March 4, 1837 to March 3, 1841) Nicknames: “The Little Magician”; “The Red Fox of Kinderhook” Born: December 5, 1782, in Kinderhook, New York Died: July 24, 1862, in Kinderhook, New York

Father: Abraham Van Buren Mother: Maria Hoes Van Buren Married: Hannah Hoes Van Buren (1783-1819), on February 21, 1807 Children: Abraham Van Buren (1807-73); John Van Buren (1810-66); Martin Van Buren (1812-55); Smith Thompson Van Buren (1817-76) Religion: Dutch Reformed Education: Graduated from Kinderhook Academy (1796) Occupation: Lawyer Political Party: Democrat Other Government Positions:

• New York State Senator, 1813-15
• New York Attorney-General, 1815-19
• United States Senator, 1821-29
• Governor of New York, 1829
• Secretary of State, 1829-1831 (under Jackson)
• Minister to England, 1831
• Vice President, 1833-1837 (under Jackson)

Presidential Salary: $25,000/year

Presidential Election Results:

Year		Popular Votes	Electoral Votes
1836	Martin Van Buren	765,483	170
	William H. Harrison	549,508	73
	Hugh L. White	145,352	26
	Daniel Webster	41,287	14
	Willie P. Mangum	—	11
1840	William H. Harrison	1,274,624	234
	Martin Van Buren	1,127,781	60

Vice President: Richard M. Johnson (1837-41) Cabinet:

Secretary of State

John Forsyth (1837-41)

Secretary of the Treasury

Levi Woodbury (1837-41)

Secretary of War

Joel R. Poinsett (1837-41)

Attorney General

Benjamin F. Butler (1837-38)

Felix Grundy (1838-39)

Henry D. Gilpin (1840-41)

Postmaster General

Amos Kendall (1837-40)

John M. Niles (1840-41)

Secretary of the Navy

Mahlon Dickerson (1837-38)

James K. Paulding (1838-41)

Supreme Court Appointments:

Associate Justice

John McKinley (1838-52)

Peter Vivian Daniel (1842-60)

Notable Events:

• 1837
  • Banks closed in Philadelphia and New York City on May 10. This was the beginning of the Panic of 1837. The depression that followed would last throughout Van Buren’s term.
• 1838
  • Continuation of forced relocation of the Cherokee people, which started under Andrew Jackson. 4,000 Native Americans die on the journey known as the Trail of Tears.
• 1840
  • William Henry Harrison defeated Van Buren.

Internet Biographies:

Martin Van Buren — from The Presidents of the United States of America

Compiled by the White House.

Martin Van Buren — from American Presidents: Life Portraits — C-SPAN

Biographical information, trivia, key events, video, and other reference materials. Website created to accompany C-SPAN’s 20th Anniversary Television Series, American Presidents: Life Portraits.

Martin Van Buren — from U.S. Presidents

From the Miller Center of Public Affairs at the University of Virginia, in addition to information on the Presidents themselves, they have first lady and cabinet member biographies, listings of presidential staff and advisers, and timelines detailing significant events in the lives of each administration.

Historical Documents:

Inaugural Address (1837)

Other Internet Resources:

Martin Van Buren National Historic Site

Home of Van Buren from 1839, in Kinderhook, New York, which he named Lindenwald. Tourist information available.

Points of Interest:

• Van Buren was the first president born in the United States. All previous presidents were born before the United States became country, although all were born in places that would later be a part of the United States.
• His autobiography does not mention his wife once.
• Van Buren took $100,000, the sum of his salary as president over four years, in a lump sum at the end of his term.
• The term “O.K.” was popularized because of Van Buren. Van Buren was from Kinderhook, New York, sometimes referred to as Old Kinderhook in speeches and print. O.K. Clubs soon formed to support Van Buren’s campaign. “O.K.” later came to mean all right.
• Van Buren made three unsuccessful bids for reelection.

Previous President: Andrew Jackson | Next President: William Henry Harrison

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