1782 - 1862
Martin Van Buren
Though not altogether exempt from embarrassments that disturb our tranquillity at home and threaten it abroad, yet in all the attributes of a great, happy, and flourishing people we stand without a parallel in the world. Inaugural Address
Overview
Martin Van Buren said that the two happiest days of his life were his entrance into the office of President and his surrender of the office. While his political opponents were glad to see him go—they nicknamed him “Martin Van Ruin”—many Americans were not. Even though he lost the 1840 presidential election, Van Buren received 40,000 more votes than he had in his 1836 victory. In subsequent years, historians have come to regard Van Buren as integral to the development of the American political system.
Fast Facts
Martin Van Buren
Kinderhook, New York
Kinderhook Academy (graduated 1796)
Dutch Reformed
Lawyer
Democrat
“The Little Magician,” “The Red Fox of Kinderhook”
February 21, 1807, to Hannah Hoes (1783–1819)
Abraham (1807–1873), John (1810–1866), Martin (1812–1855), Winfield Scott (1813), Smith Thompson (1817–1876)
8
Kinderhook Cemetery, Kinderhook, New York
