Martin Van Buren
Who was Martin Van Buren?
President of the United States from 1837 to 1841
Biographical data adapted from Wikipedia’s article on Martin Van Buren (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Biography
Martin Van Buren was born on December 5, 1782, in Kinderhook, New York, a small village with a strong influence of Dutch culture and language. He grew up in a community of Dutch descent, and Dutch was his first language, making him the only president in U.S. history to have spoken English as a second language. His father, Abraham Van Buren, ran a tavern that was a meeting spot for local politicians, introducing young Van Buren to politics early on. He studied law, became a lawyer in 1803, and quickly became known as a skilled and ambitious attorney.
Van Buren started his political career in the Democratic-Republican Party, winning a seat in the New York State Senate in 1813 and later being elected to the U.S. Senate in 1821. He led the Bucktails faction and created a strong political organization called the Albany Regency, which strengthened Democratic-Republican power in New York through party loyalty and patronage. His organizational skills gained national recognition, and he became a major player in founding what would become the Democratic Party with Andrew Jackson.
His partnership with Andrew Jackson was a major part of his career. Van Buren ran for governor of New York in 1828 mainly to support Jackson's presidential run, then resigned shortly after Jackson's inauguration to serve as secretary of state. He became a key advisor in the cabinet and helped manage the Petticoat affair, resigning to relieve tensions in a move that increased Jackson's respect for him. He then briefly served as ambassador to the United Kingdom before being picked as Jackson's running mate. They won the 1832 election, and Van Buren served as vice president from 1833 to 1837.
With Jackson's support, Van Buren won the presidency in 1836, becoming the eighth president of the United States. His term from 1837 to 1841 was largely affected by the Panic of 1837, one of the country's worst economic crises. Van Buren responded by proposing the Independent Treasury system, where the federal government would store its funds in secure vaults instead of using private banks. He believed this would stabilize the economy, but opposition delayed its approval until 1840, and his handling of the crisis hurt his popularity. He lost his 1840 reelection to Whig candidate William Henry Harrison.
After his presidency, Van Buren stayed active in politics. He sought the Democratic nomination again in 1844 but was passed over partly because of his opposition to the annexation of Texas, which he feared would increase tensions over slavery. In 1848, he ran for president on the Free Soil Party ticket, which opposed the expansion of slavery into new territories, though he did not win. He spent his later years at Lindenwald, his estate in Kinderhook, where he died on July 24, 1862, at the age of eighty.
Before Fame
Van Buren grew up in Kinderhook, New York, where Dutch was spoken at home. Growing up in a small-town tavern environment helped shape his early understanding of people and politics. His formal education was limited, ending around age fourteen, but he made up for it by studying hard on his own and working in the law office of Francis Silvester, and later in New York City. He became a lawyer in 1803 and went back to Kinderhook to start his practice, quickly becoming known for his legal skills.
His early career happened during a time when the young country was going through a lot of political changes. The Federalist Party was falling apart, and the Democratic-Republicans were splitting into different groups. Van Buren saw the importance of well-organized, disciplined political parties for gaining and keeping power. His efforts in building the Albany Regency in New York showed how much he valued party loyalty and machine politics, skills that helped him move up on the national stage.
Key Achievements
- Served as the eighth president of the United States from 1837 to 1841
- Co-founded the Democratic Party alongside Andrew Jackson and built its national organizational structure
- Established the Albany Regency, one of the first disciplined political machines in American history
- Proposed and eventually secured passage of the Independent Treasury Act of 1840, separating federal funds from private banking institutions
- Served as secretary of state, ambassador to the United Kingdom, and vice president before ascending to the presidency
Did You Know?
- 01.Van Buren is the only U.S. president whose first language was not English; he grew up speaking Dutch in Kinderhook, New York.
- 02.The phrase 'OK' or 'okay' is widely believed to have been popularized during Van Buren's 1840 presidential campaign, where supporters called themselves 'OK Club,' referencing his nickname 'Old Kinderhook.'
- 03.He was the first president to be born a citizen of the United States rather than a British subject, as he was born in 1782 after American independence.
- 04.Van Buren ran for president under three different political affiliations: Democratic-Republican roots, then the Democratic Party, and finally the Free Soil Party in 1848.
- 05.Despite his reputation as a shrewd political operator, Van Buren was known for his meticulous dress and polished manners, earning him the nickname 'The Little Magician' for his small stature and seemingly effortless ability to maneuver through political disputes.