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 (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
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)
Notable Events:
Internet Biographies:
-
Martin Van Buren --
from The
Presidents of the United States of America
-
Compiled by the White House.
-
Martin Van Buren --
from Table
of Presidents and Vice Presidents of the United States - MSN Encarta
-
Grolier Online has created this resource from its collection of
print articles in Encyclopedia Americana. Contains a full biography,
written by James A. Beatson of New Mexico Highlands University,
along with suggestions for further reading.
-
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.
Historical Documents: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.
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Martin Van Buren
8th President of the United States
(March 4, 1837 to March 3, 1841)
Hannah Van Buren
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