Martin Van Buren

Presidential Number: 8th
Years he was President: 1837-1841
State Represented: New York
Party Affiliation: Democratic-Republican
Fact(s): He gave us the word "OK" or "Okay" which was an abbreviation for the name of his New York home "Old Kinderhook." A club called the "O.K. Club" formed and soon "OK" came to mean "all correct."

Personal
Birthday: December 5, 1782
How old would he be this year? 221
School(s) attended: law in New York City
Wife: Hannah Van Buren
Occupation(s) before he was President: Lawyer
Other way(s) he served: Governor of New York, Ambassador to Great Britain, Secretary of State, U.S. Senator, Vice President
Height: 5 feet, 6 inches
Hobbies or Sports: Riding

Life in America
How would he have traveled? Train
How would he have communicated with his friends? Letter
U.S. Population when term began: 17,069,453
Number of stars on flag when he left office: 26
Martin Van Buren

More Biographies
« previous | next »

Art and information provided by fifth-graders from Abingdon Elementary School in Arlington, Virginia. Coloringbook drawings by White House artist Rania Hassan.