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Martin Van Buren 8th President of the United States Nicknames: "The Little Magician"; "The Red Fox of Kinderhook" Born: December 5, 1782, in Kinderhook, New York |
Father: Abraham Van Buren
Mother: Maria Hoes Van Buren
Married: Hannah Hoes (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
| 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)
- 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.
- Continuation of forced relocation of the Cherokee people, which started under
- 1840
- William Henry Harrison defeated Van Buren.
- 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 The American President
- 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.
- Martin Van Buren National Historic Site
- Home of Van Buren from 1839, in Kinderhook, New York, which he named Lindenwald. Tourist information available.
- 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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