This oil on canvas painting of President Martin Van Buren was done by George Peter Alexander Healy. Martin Van Buren was an American lawyer and statesman who served as the eighth president of the United States from 1837 to 1841. Van Buren went to a local school for several years as a child, but left at about the age of 12. History and Significance, John Tyler: Significant Facts and Brief Biography. Van Buren married Hannah Hoes on February 21, 1807, in Catskill, New York. The Presidency After Texan Independence. Historical Significance: Van Buren can be considered an average president. He rose through the ranks of New York Republican (Democratic-Republican) politics in direct opposition to the policies and paternal-istic tactics of the state's popular Republican governor, De Witt Clinton. While Van Buren has earned the accolades of scholars for his contributions to the development of the American political system, he has not been judged a great, nor even good, President. Who Were the Democratic Presidents of the United States? In 1842 Van Buren had traveled to Illinois and was introduced to a young man with political ambitions, Abraham Lincoln. There were even entire books written attacking Van Buren. The Whigs ran four different candidates in different regions of the country, hoping that each would be popular enough to defeat Democratic standard-bearer Martin Van Buren in their respective areas. Real estate investor Martin Van Buren Stacy (1837-1901) and his wife, Elizabeth A. Briggs Stacy (1824-1904), spent approximately $50,000 to erect this grand Second Empire Style residence, considered at the time one of the three most lavish mansions in the city, along with the Henry Yesler House #2 and the McNaught Mansion. McNamara, Robert. The frontrunners for the presidential nominations in both parties, Henry Clay and Martin Van Buren (Democrat), feared that the annexation of Texas would split their parties. ThoughtCo. It is clear, though, that Van Buren could not win its passage. Presidential term: March 4, 1837 - March 4, 1841. Similar to Andrew Jackson, Van Buren was scared to break the balance of the slave and free states. He earned the nicknames "Little Magician" and the "Red Fox" for his cunning politics. Martin Van Buren was the eighth President of the United States (1837-1841), after serving as the eighth Vice President and the tenth Secretary of State, both under President Andrew Jackson. When assessing the impact and legacy of Martin Van Buren, scholars have generally drawn a distinction between Van Buren's presidency, which they often judge lacking and troubled, and his contributions to the development of the American political system, which they find singular and significant. The election marked the first of two Whig victories in presidential elections. Growing up in a Dutch enclave in New York State, Van Buren's family spoke Dutch and Van Buren learned English as his second language when he was a child. Martin Van Buren, atop an ox with the head of Maine Gov. claimed that political parties were necessary to "check" the government from abusing its power. Gave the longest inaugural address in history – Caught pneumonia and . His chief response—a proposal for an independent treasury system—reflected his Jeffersonian and Jacksonian political beliefs. Thus, the importance of his crowning achievement—the Democratic Party—which Van Buren hoped could control this intra-party conflict in order to defeat its opponents. Van Buren's political base was rooted in New York State, in the "The Albany Regency," a prototypical political machine which dominated the state for decades. As a child he would listen to political news and gossip relayed in the small tavern his father operated in the village of Kinderhook. The most perceptive scholars, though, point out that such a course would have required Van Buren to jettison his political beliefs, something he was loathe to do. The Election of 1848 was the final time that Martin Van Buren would try to gain public office. Van Buren became known for being a shrewd politician. Should Van Buren have embraced more drastic and activist measures than the independent treasury to try to end the depression? A founder of the Democratic Party, he had previously served as the ninth governor of New York, the tenth United States secretary of state, and the eighth vice president of the United States. "Martin Van Buren: Significant Facts and Brief Biography." AKA Martin Abrahamse Van Buren. "Martin Van Buren: Significant Facts and Brief Biography." He was known as the “Little Magician” to his friends (and the “Sly Fox” to his enemies) in recognition of his reputed cunning and skill as a politician. Martin Van Buren was the 8th American President who served in office from March 4, 1837 to March 4, 1841. Among other things, he served as the 10th Secretary of State and the 8th Vice President during the presidency of Andrew Jackson. Thus, we are left with a final irony. In 1839, the Whigs held a national convention for the first time. He was educated in a local academy, later studied law and was admitted to the New York bar in 1803. These principles—the preeminence of state and local concerns, the wisdom of limiting the power of the federal government, and the importance of protecting Americans from government or public institutions that supposedly threatened their liberty—he held dearly and believed vital to the nation's political and economic future. And Van Buren realized that political power could be harnessed by a tightly disciplined party structure. (William Van Ness was a witness to the infamous Hamilton-Burr duel.). And all U.S. Army and Navy officers wore black crepe armbands on their left arms for six months after Van Buren's death in tribute to the late president. ; Texas, which had become an independent republic in 1836, was an important issue during President Van Buren’s term. Years later, Van Buren said he recalled laughing at Lincoln's stories. He announced in August 1837 that he did not support the annexation of Texas. As a man of the Democratic party, he could not muster its strength. As Van Buren was generally considered to be a successor picked by Jackson, it was expected at the time that he would also be an influential president. After his difficult term as president, Van Buren ran for reelection in the election of 1840, losing to William Henry Harrison. Van Buren received no electoral votes, though the votes he received (especially in New York) may have swayed the election. Van Buren and his fellow "Bucktails" (anti-Clintonian Republicans) rebelled against Clinton's favoritism and arbitrary use of appointment pow… Van Buren rose to prominence—first in New York state and then nationally—at a time when his party was beset by factionalism, by vicious in-fighting, and by a lack of organizational and ideological unity. Martin Van Buren was the first American president born after the colonies declared their independence from Britain and became the United States. He successfully resolved tensions between the two … Martin Van Buren was the first President to be born a citizen of the US (the first President born after the American Revolution). Political Accomplishments. Martin Van Buren, (born December 5, 1782, Kinderhook, New York, U.S.—died July 24, 1862, Kinderhook), eighth president of the United States (1837–41) and one of the founders of the Democratic Party. why was the election of 1840 important? "The Little Magician," which referred both to his height and great political skills, was a common nickname for Van Buren. Rumors were even spread that Van Buren was Burr's illegitimate son. As the Civil War began, Van Buren was approached by another former president, Franklin Pierce, to approach Lincoln and seek some peaceful resolution to the conflict. The trick, though, was to manage this conflict. The Presidency of Martin Van Buren spanned the period in United States history that encompasses the events of the Jacksonian era. Van Buren's hosts had enlisted Lincoln, who was known as a good teller of local tales, to entertain the former president. Van Buren was the successor of Andrew Jackson, and from the moment he stepped foot in office, he refused to annex Texas. Van Buren died at his home in Kinderhook, New York, and his funeral was held in a local cemetery. Test Your Knowledge! Hannah Hoes Van Buren died in 1819, and Van Buren never remarried. Involved in New York state politics from the age of 17, Van Buren organized the first state-wide political organization, the Bucktails, whose leaders were known as the Albany Regency. Bibliography. The two political professionals agreed to cloud the issue in the hope of keeping it off center stage. This was the 13th inauguration and marked the commencement of the only four-year term of both Martin Van Buren as President and Richard Mentor Johnson as Vice President. created the first political machine. Pictures and Trivia About the Presidents of the United States, Last Time Consecutive Democratic Presidents Were Elected, The Most Important Inventions of the Industrial Revolution. Van Buren's critics focused on his role in party-building and charged that his efforts were the work of a cynical, manipulative, and power-hungry politician. Van Buren considered Pierce's proposal unseemly. The youthful Van Buren was also acquainted with Hamilton's enemy (and eventual killer) Aaron Burr. To be sure, there was some truth to these accusations: all politicians want to build their power base, and often do so by engaging in practices that are both deceptive and manipulative. Van Buren believed that political conflict, both among allies and between opponents, was unavoidable. Martin Van Buren (1782 1862) was an American politician who served as the 8th President of the United States from 1837 to 1841. 8th US President, 1837-41. Martin Van Buren. VP _____ becomes president (#10) Significance of the Age of Democracy Two changes from this era: Triumph of Democracy. The inauguration of Martin Van Buren as the eighth President of the United States took place on Saturday, March 4, 1837, at the East Portico of the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C. Martin Van Buren was born in Kinderhook, New York. Van Buren grew up fascinated by politics. Rector and Visitors of the University of Virginia, Notice of Non-Discrimination and Equal Opportunity. John Fairfield, confronts England's Queen Victoria, who is riding a dog with the head of the duke of Wellington. ThoughtCo, Feb. 16, 2021, thoughtco.com/martin-van-buren-significant-facts-1773435. Historians disagree about whether this approach would have worked. This critique of Van Buren, however, is overly harsh and misleading. He won the 1836 presidential election with the endorsement of popular outgoing President Andrew Jackson and the organizational strength of the Democratic Party. # President Andrew Jackson, and his successor, Martin Van Buren are held accountable for the unfortunate event. Summary: Martin Van Buren (1782-1862), nicknamed the "Red Fox of Kinderhook", was the 8th American President and served in office from 1837-1841. In the 1820s the earlier political parties, such as the Federalists, had essentially faded away. Emeritus Professor of History Van Buren's greatest political accomplishment occurred a decade before his presidency: He organized the Democratic Party in the mid-1820s, before the election of 1828 brought Andrew Jackson to power. Perceived as Jackson's political heir, Van Buren took the blame. Satirical cartoon about the escalation of tensions between the United States and the British Commonwealth during the Aroostook War. The connection with Van Ness, who was closely allied to the political operations of Aaron Burr, was extremely beneficial to Van Buren. Yet Van Buren understood that a party which brought together different regional factions around a strong personality such as Jackson would likely be influential. His father, named Abraham, was a man of limited means, a farmer and tavern owner, who supported American Revolution. He lost his 1840 reelection bid to In 1848 Van Buren once again ran for president, as the candidate of the Free-Soil Party, which was composed mostly of anti-slavery members of the Whig Party. President Lincoln, feeling respect and perhaps a kinship for Van Buren, issued orders for a period of mourning that exceeded the basic formalities. Death. Van Buren was exposed to politicians and political argument by the steady steam of visitors who frequented his father’s establishment. He refused to participate in any such effort and indicated his support for Lincoln's policies. It was a landmark election where, by vote count, Van Buren inarguably had the worst performance of any of his bids for the White House, and yet the election of 1848 was arguably the most important race Van Buren ever ran. McNamara, Robert. " Van Buren can be considered an average president. Some opponents of annexation hinted ominously at a "slave-owner conspiracy." In later years, efforts to link Van Buren to Burr became outrageous. He was unable to get elected to a second term as president, however, when a financial panic hit … As Van Buren was closely allied with Andrew Jackson, Jackson's many opponents were also opposed to Van Buren. Near the end of his life, on the eve of the Civil War, Van Buren publicly expressed his support for Abraham Lincoln, whom he had met years earlier on a trip to Illinois. He gained a practical legal education by working for a local lawyer in Kinderhook as a teenager. denounced the American System and opposed the Whigs. Martin Van BurenBorn: 12/5/1782Birthplace: Kinderhook, N.Y. Martin Van Buren was born on Dec. 5, 1782, at Kinderhook, N.Y. After graduating from the village school, he became a law clerk, entered practice in 1803, and soon became active in state politics as state senator and attorney general. Martin Van Buren to Andrew Jackson, November 10, 1840, "The apprehensions expressed in my last have been fully realized. Martin Van Buren was surely one of the most important politicians in American history. It was the only race in which a major political party intentionally ran several presidential candidates. Four years later, Van Buren tried to recapture the presidency, but failed to be nominated at the 1844 Democratic convention. He tried to return to the White House at least twice, and he remains a fascinating and influential character in American politics. Van Buren was elected president in 1836, following the two terms of Andrew Jackson. Birthplace: Kinderhook, NY Location of death: Kinderhook, NY Cause of death: Asthma complicati. He was thus a widower during his term as president. https://www.whitehouse.gov/about-the-white-house/presidents The main challenge President Van Buren faced was the nation's economic depression. One of the important events during his presidency … Van Buren perhaps paid the final price for these limitations in 1840 when voters chose not to send him back to the White House for another four years. Van Buren recognized these weaknesses and set about to rectify them by constructing a cohesive and unified political organization, first in New York and then nationally. The Van Buren candidacy kept votes from going to Democratic candidate Lewis Cass, thus ensuring victory for Whig candidate Zachary Taylor. Indian Removal letter sent by the Cherokees to Martin Van Buren expressing great displeasure at the miscommunication, and breakdown of relations that the President mis-interpreted than onto the American people, to justify removal. Robert J. McNamara is a history expert and former magazine journalist. While his time in office … It was later said that Van Buren learned much through his connections with Burr. Significance to the Jacksonian Era and the Young Republic. Martin Van Buren. Listening to various political get-togethers at his father’s tavern, he developed a sharp political acumen. What is Martin Van Buren most known for? (And the spoils system often associated with the Jackson years was inadvertently given its distinctive name by another New York politician, Senator William Marcy.). Martin Van Buren was a political genius from New York, sometimes called "The Little Magician," whose greatest accomplishment may have been building the coalition that made Andrew Jackson president. U.S. Pres. Martin Van Buren, eighth president of the United States, was born at Kinderhook, New York, on the 5th of December 1782, of Dutch descent. Much more than earlier political parties, this Democratic Party had a centralized leadership structure and a consistent ideological program for all levels of government. Van Buren rose to prominence—first in New York state and then nationally—at a time when his party was beset by factionalism, by vicious in-fighting, and by a lack of organizational and ideological unity. Van Buren wanted to build an effective and efficient political organization principally because he thought it the best mechanism for defending and extending the Jeffersonian and Jacksonian political ideals. The legacy of Martin Van Buren is essentially the political party system of the United States. A 200-page political attack published in 1835, supposedly written by the frontiersman turned politician Davy Crockett, characterized Van Buren as "secret, sly, selfish, cold, calculating, distrustful.". https://www.thoughtco.com/martin-van-buren-significant-facts-1773435 (accessed April 11, 2021). Under the strategic leadership of Martin Van Buren, they built a highly organized national political party, the first modern party in the United States. Elected to the nation's highest office after Jackson's two terms, Van Buren faced a looming financial crisis and was generally unsuccessful as president. While still in his teens, Van Buren was exposed to the highest levels of politics in New York City. The organizing Van Buren did for Jackson and the new Democratic Party in the mid-1820s, following Jackson's loss in the bitter election of 1824, essentially created a lasting template for political parties in America. Significance of Texas. Harrison blew Van Buren away in the Electoral College – Election was a protest against the hard times of the era. Born: December 5, 1782, Kinderhook, New York.Died: July 24, 1862, Kinderhook, New York, at the age of 79. To put the span of Van Buren's life in perspective, he could recall that as a young man he had stood several feet away from Alexander Hamilton, who was giving a speech in New York City. Martin Van Buren created the system of party government. Would earlier passage of the independent treasury bill have lifted the nation out of its economic woes? To some degree, Jacksonian party politics rose from Van Buren's personal experience in New York State. Throughout the 1820s and 1830s Van Buren was often attacked in political cartoons. They would have four sons. He faced criticism from Congress and the public, and he lost to the Whig candidate William Henry Harrison when he ran for a second term in the election of 1840. Martin Van Buren was elected eighth President of the United States in 1836 after serving as Andrew Jackson's Secretary of State and Vice President. He was 79 years old, and the cause of death was ascribed to chest ailments. Martin Van Buren - Eighth President of the United States, 10 Little Known Facts About Martin Van Buren, What Was the US Second Party System? Military observances, including the ceremonial firing of cannon, occurred in Washington. Van Buren's greatest political accomplishment occurred … Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/martin-van-buren-significant-facts-1773435. Cornell University, © Copyright 2021. McNamara, Robert. As a man of strong Jeffersonian and Jacksonian principles, he would not choose (and saw no need to choose) another path. But one must acknowledge that unflagging belief in this ideology fueled his political activities. And he had a number of other nicknames, including "Matty Van" and "Ol' Kinderhook," which some say led to the word "okay" entering the English language. It is impossible to know. Born on 5 December 1782 in the small Hudson River community of Kinderhook, New York, Martin Van Buren grew up in an era of political confusion and intense party rivalry. In many ways the organizational structure Van Buren brought to national party politics set the template for the American political system we know today. Martin Van Buren: Significant Facts and Brief Biography. 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