American President
Martin Van Buren (1782–1862)
Facts at a Glance
- Term
- 8th President of the United States (1837–1841)
- Born
- December 5, 1782, Kinderhook, New York
- Nickname
- “The Little Magician,” “The Red Fox of Kinderhook”
- Education
- Kinderhook Academy (graduated 1796)
- Religion
- Dutch Reformed
- Marriage
- February 21, 1807, to Hannah Hoes (1783–1819)
- Children
- Abraham (1807–1873), John (1810–1866), Martin (1812–1855), Winfield Scott (1813), Smith Thompson (1817–1876)
- Career
- Lawyer
- Political Party
- Democrat
- Writings
- Inquiry into the Origin and Course of Political Parties in the United States (1867); The Autobiography of Martin Van Buren (1920), ed. by John C. Fitzpatrick
- Died
- July 24, 1862, Kinderhook, New York
- Buried
- Kinderhook Cemetery, Kinderhook, New York
- A Life in Brief
- 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. More »
Essays on Martin Van Buren and His Administration
- Martin Van Buren
- A Life in Brief
- Life Before the Presidency
- Campaigns and Elections
- Domestic Affairs
- Foreign Affairs
- Life After the Presidency
- Family Life
- The American Franchise
- Impact and Legacy
- Key Events
- First Lady
- Angelica Van Buren
- Vice President
- Richard M. Johnson (1837–1841)
- Secretary of State
- John Forsyth (1837–1841)
- Secretary of War
- Joel R. Poinsett (1837–1841)
- Postmaster General
- Amos Kendall (1837–1840)
- John M. Niles (1840–1841)
- Secretary of the Treasury
- Levi Woodbury (1837–1841)
- Attorney General
- Benjamin F. Butler (1837–1838)
- Felix Grundy (1838–1839)
- Henry D. Gilpin (1840–1841)
- Secretary of the Navy
- Mahlon Dickerson (1837–1838)
- James K. Paulding (1838–1841)
Consulting Editor: Joel Silbey
Professor Silbey is the President White Professor of History, Emeritus at Cornell University. His writings include:
The American Political Nation, 1838–1893 (Stanford University Press, 1991)
Respectable Minority: the Democratic Party in the Civil War Era 1860–1868 (W. W. Norton & Co (Sd), 1977)
Presidential Speeches
Below are selections from the Miller Center’s Martin Van Buren speech collection.
Scholarship and Speakers
The Miller Center of Public Affairs is a national nonpartisan center to research, reflect, and report on American government, with special attention to the central role and history of the presidency. Below is a selection of Miller Center resources on Martin Van Buren.
Watch
Ted Widmer’s 2006 presentation at the Miller Center on Martin Van Buren: The Original Party
Boss.
Learn more about the Center’s National Commission on the Vice Presidency and its relationship to Van Buren.
Scripps Library Reference Resources
Below are links to reference resources prepared by the Miller Center’s Scripps Library, designed to help students and scholars conduct their research quickly.
Information on Martin Van Buren’s Private and Public Papers
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