Martin Van Buren (1782-1862) was elected as the eighth President of the United States of America in the US Presidential Election 1836. He served as the US President from 1837 to 1841. He was well recognized as a diplomat.
Before being elected as the President,Martin Van Buren held the responsible position of US Vice President from 1833 to 1837. Besides being the eighth Vice President, he was also the 10th Secretary of State under the then President Andrew Jackson.
Martin Van Buren played a successful role as a diplomat. When he was a member of the State Senate, he supported the War of 1812. He had a conflict with DeWitt Clinton that led to a break up in 1813. He also tried to oppose the plan of Clinton to construct the Erie Canal in 1817. Though Martin opposed Clinton’s plan, he supported a bill to raise money for the canal through state bonds. And, when finally the Erie Canal with a 96 mile stretch opened, Martin Van Buren tried to win the political mileage.
The supporters of Martin were always by his side who assured money for the canal. the supporters ultimately run Clinton out from the governor’s office. Martin was the 11th Governor of New York for a brief period in 1829.
Martin Van Buren had a key role to play in the organization of the Democratic Party. He was an important figure in the Second Party System. When he became the US President in 1833, there were troubles inside the country which had to dealt with by this non-English descendant. Dutch was the first language of Martin. the Panic of 1837 broke out during his Presidency. He always opposed the creation of a new Bank of the United States. He devoted his life for the opposition of slavery. For this cause Van Buren even blocked the annexation of Texas. Martin Van Buren inflicted a defeat in the hands of the Whigs in the re-election in 1840.
Facts |
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|---|---|
| Full Name: | Martin Van Buren |
| Date of Birth: | December 5, 1782, Kinderhook, New York |
| Died on: | July 24, 1862, Kinderhook, New York |
| Burial site: | Kinderhook Cemetery, Kinderhook, New York |
| Parents: | Abraham and Maria Hoes Van Alen Van Buren |
| Spouse: | Hannah Hoes (1783-1819; m. 1807) |
| Children: | Abraham (1807-1873); John (1810-1866); Martin (1812-1855); Winfield Scott (1814-1814); Smith Thompson (1817-1876) |
| Religion: | Dutch Reformed |
| Education: | No formal education |
| Profession(s): | Attorney |
| Government ranks: | New York state senator; U.S. Senator and governor of New York; secretary of state and vice president under Andrew Jackson |
| Political party: | Democratic |
| President Term: | March 4, 1837-March 4, 1841 |
| Age when assumed office: | 54 |
Outcome of the Elections |
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|---|---|---|---|
| 1836 | Presidential / Vice Presidential Candidates | Popular votes | Electoral votes |
| Martin Van Buren / Richard M. Johnson (Democratic) | 762678 | 170 | |
| William Henry Harrison / Francis Granger (Whig) | 550816 | 73 | |
| Hugh Lawson White (Whig) | 146107 | 26 | |
| Daniel Wbester (Whig) | 41201 | 14 | |
| Willie Person Mangum (Whig) | Unknown | 11 | |
Presidential Term and its details |
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|---|---|
| Dates: | March 4, 1837-March 4, 1841 |
| Vice President: | Richard Mentor Johnson (1837-41) |
Snapshot of Martin Van Buren’s life |
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|---|---|
| 1782 | Born in New York |
| 1796 | Graduates from Kinderhook Academy; serves as clerk for lawyer and begins studying law |
| 1803 | Passes New York bar; sets up law practice in Kinderhook |
| 1813-20 | Serves in New York senate |
| 1815-19 | Serves as New York attorney general |
| 1821-28 | Serves as U.S. Senator from New York |
| 1828 | Elected governor of New York; resigns in March 1829 to join President Andrew Jackson’s cabinet as secretary of state |
| 1831 | Resigns as secretary of state and is nominated by Jackson as minister to England, but the nomination is rejected by Congress |
| 1832 | Helps establish the democratic party, which nominates Jackson for second term; Jackson wins election with Van Buren as vice president |
| 1837-41 | Serves as eighth U.S. President |
| 1837 | Banks close in Philadelphia and New York City on May 10, beginning the Panic of 1837 and a depression that lasts throughout Van Buren’s term |
| 1838 | Van Buren continues Jackson’s Indian policy, culminating with the Trail of Tears, when thousands of Native Americans are forced westward from the Southeast to present-day Oklahoma |
| 1840 | Loses presidential election to William Henry Harrison |
| 1844 | Despite being the favorite, Van Buren loses the Democratic party presidential nomination to dark-horse candidate James K. Polk |
| 1848 | Runs for president as a member of the Free Soil party but receives only 10 percent of the vote |
| 1862 | Dies in New York |
