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{{Infobox_President
| name=Martin Van Buren
| nationality=[[United States|American]]
| image=Martin Van Buren.jpg
| order=8th [[President of the United States]]
| term_start=[[March 4]], [[1837]]
| term_end=[[March 4]], [[1841]]
| predecessor=[[Andrew Jackson]]
| successor=[[William Henry Harrison]]
| birth_date={{birth date|1782|12|5|mf=y}}
| birth_place=[[Kinderhook (village), New York|Kinderhook]], [[New York]]
| death_date={{death date and age|1862|7|24|1782|12|5}}
| death_place=Kinderhook, New York
| Home State=New York
| spouse=Widowed [[Hannah Hoes Van Buren]] (daughter-in-law [[Angelica Van Buren]] was first lady)
| children=Abraham Van Buren <br> [[John Van Buren]] <br> Martin Van Buren (1812–55) <br> Smith Thompson Van Buren
| occupation=[[Lawyer]]
| party=[[Democratic-Republican Party (United States)|Democratic-Republican]], [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]], and [[Free Soil Party|Free Soil]]
| vicepresident=[[Richard Mentor Johnson]]
| religion=[[Reformed Church in America|Dutch Reformed]] [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_United_States_Presidential_religious_affiliations#List_of_Presidential_religious_affiliations.2Fbeliefs_.28by_President.29]
| alma_mater=[[Kinderhook Academy]]
| signature=Martin Van Buren Signature.png
| order2=8th [[Vice President of the United States]]
| term_start2=[[March 4]], [[1833]]
| term_end2=[[March 4]], [[1837]]
| president2=[[Andrew Jackson]]
| predecessor2=[[John C. Calhoun]]
| successor2=[[Richard Mentor Johnson]]
| order3=10th [[United States Secretary of State]]
| president3=[[Andrew Jackson]]
| term_start3=[[March 28]], [[1829]]
| term_end3=[[May 23]], [[1831]]
| predecessor3=[[Henry Clay]]
| successor3=[[Edward Livingston]]
| order4= 9th [[Governor of New York]]
| lieutenant4= [[Enos T. Throop]]
| term_start4= [[January 1]], [[1829]]
| term_end4= [[March 5]], [[1829]]
| preceded4= [[Nathaniel Pitcher]]
| successor4= [[Enos T. Throop]]
| order5= [[United States Senator]] from [[New York]]
| term_start5= [[March 4]], [[1821]]
| term_end5= [[December 20]], [[1828]]
| preceded5= [[Nathan Sanford]]
| successor5= [[Charles E. Dudley]]
| order6= [[United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary|Chairman of the Senate Committee on the Judiciary]]
| term_start6= [[1823]]
| term_end6= [[1828]]
| preceded6= [[William Smith (South Carolina senator)|William Smith]]
| successor6= [[John Macpherson Berrien]]
|}}
'''Martin Van Buren''' ([[December 5]] [[1782]] &ndash; [[July 24]] [[1862]]), nicknamed ''Old [[Kinderhook (village), New York|Kinderhook]]'', was the eighth [[President of the United States]] from 1837 to 1841. Before his presidency, he served as the eighth [[Vice President of the United States|Vice President]] (1833-1837) and the 10th [[United States Secretary of State|Secretary of State]] under [[Andrew Jackson]]. He was a key organizer of the [[United States Democratic Party|Democratic Party]], a dominant figure in the [[Second Party System]], and the first president who was not of English, Irish, Welsh, or Scottish descent. He was the first president to be born an American citizen<ref>http://www.hoover.nara.gov/exhibits/cottages/middleclass/vanburen.html</ref> (his predecessors were born before the revolution); he is also the only president not to have spoken English as a first language, having grown up speaking [[Dutch language|Dutch]]{{Fact|date=April 2008}}.

Van Buren was the first of a series of eight presidents between [[Andrew Jackson]] and [[Abraham Lincoln]] who served one term or less. He also was one of the central figures in developing modern political organizations. As [[Andrew Jackson]]'s Secretary of State and then Vice President, he was a key figure in building the organizational structure for [[Jacksonian democracy]], particularly in New York State. However, as a President, his administration was largely characterized by the economic hardship of his time, the [[Panic of 1837]]. Between the bloodless [[Aroostook War]] and the [[Caroline Affair]], relations with Britain and its colonies in Canada also proved to be strained. Whether or not these are directly his fault, Van Buren was voted out of office after four years, with a close popular vote but a rout in the electoral vote. In 1848 he ran for president on a third party ticket, the [[Free Soil Party]].

==Biography==
Martin Van Buren was born in the village of [[Kinderhook (village), New York|Kinderhook]], [[New York]], approximately 25 miles south of [[Albany, New York|Albany]], the [[state capital]], as the third of five children. He was the first president born in the United States, as all previous ones were born before the American Revolution. His great-great-great-great-grandfather Cornelis had come to the New World in 1631 from the [[Netherlands]]. His father was Abraham Van Buren ([[February 17]] [[1737]]&ndash;[[April 8]] [[1817]]), a farmer and popular [[tavern]]-master. His mother was Maria Hoes Van Allen ([[February 27]] [[1743]]&ndash;[[February 16]], 1817), a widow who had three sons from a previous relationship.

[[Image:Martin Van Buren Presidential $1 Coin obverse.jpg|200px|thumb|left| Presidential Dollar of Martin Van Buren]]
Van Buren was educated at the [[common school]]s and at [[Kinderhook Academy]]. In 1796, he began the study of law, completing his preparation in 1802 in [[New York City]], where he studied under [[William Peter van Ness]]. In 1803, he was admitted to the [[bar (law)|bar]] and continued an active and successful practice for 25 years.

On [[February 21]] [[1807]], he married [[Hannah Hoes Van Buren|Hannah Hoes]], a maternal cousin. Hannah died in 1819, before her husband became President (and, therefore, never became [[First Lady of the United States]]).

His practice made him wealthy and paved the way for his entrance into politics. He allied himself with the Clintonian faction of the [[Democratic-Republican Party]], and was surrogate of [[Columbia County, New York|Columbia County]] from 1808 until 1813, when he was removed. In 1812, he became a member of the [[New York State Senate]]. In 1817, Martin Van Buren created the first political machine encompassing all of New York, the [[Bucktails]], whose leaders later became known as the [[Albany Regency]], and he was the prime architect of the first nationwide political party: the [[Jacksonian Democrats]]. In Van Buren's own words: "Without strong national political organizations, there would be nothing to moderate the prejudices between free and slaveholding states"("Martin Van Buren" 103-114).

==Early political career==
===New York State Politics===
As a member of the state Senate, he supported the [[War of 1812]] and drew up a classification act for the enrollment of volunteers. He broke with [[DeWitt Clinton]] in 1813 and tried to find a way to oppose Clinton's plan for the [[Erie Canal]] in 1817. Van Buren supported a bill that raised money for the canal through state bonds, and the bill quickly passed through the legislature with the help of his Tammany Hall compatriots.

Van Buren's attitude towards [[slavery]] at the moment was shown by his vote, in January 1820, for a resolution opposing the admission of [[Missouri]] as a slave state (though he himself was a slave owner). In the same year, he was chosen a presidential [[U.S. Electoral College|elector]]. It is at this point that Van Buren's connection began with so-called "machine politics". He was the leading figure in the "[[Albany Regency]]," a group of politicians who for more than a generation dominated much of the politics of New York and powerfully influenced those of the nation. The group, together with the political clubs such as [[Tammany Hall]] that were developing at the same time, played a major role in the development of the "[[spoils system]]" a recognized procedure in national, state and local affairs. The Bucktails became a loyal faction with a large amount of party loyalty, and through their actions they were able to capture and control many patronage posts throughout New York. Van Buren did not originate the system but gained the nickname of "Little Wizard" for the skill with which he exploited it. He served also as a member of the state [[constitutional convention (political meeting)|constitutional convention]], where he opposed the grant of universal suffrage and tried to keep property requirements.

===U.S. Senate and national politics===
In February 1821, Martin Van Buren was elected to the [[United States Senate]]. Martin Van Buren at first favored internal improvements, such as road repairs and canal creation, therefore proposing a constitutional amendment in 1824 to authorize such undertakings. The next year, however, he took ground against them. He voted for the [[tariff in American history|tariff]] of 1824 then gradually abandoned the protectionist position, coming out for "tariffs for revenue only."

In the [[U.S. presidential election, 1824|presidential election of 1824]], Martin Van Buren supported [[William H. Crawford]] and received the electoral vote of [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]] for [[Vice President of the United States of America|vice-president]], but he shrewdly kept out of the acrimonious controversy which followed the choice of [[John Quincy Adams]] as President. Martin Van Buren had originally hoped to block Adams' victory by denying him the state of New York (the state was divided between Martin Van Buren supporters who would vote for [[William H. Crawford]] and Adams' men). However, Representative [[Stephen Van Rensselaer]] swung New York to Adams and thereby the 1824 Presidency. He recognized early the potential of [[Andrew Jackson]] as a presidential candidate.

After the election, Martin Van Buren sought to bring the Crawford and Jackson followers together and strengthened his control as a leader in the Senate. Always notably courteous in his treatment of opponents, he showed no bitterness toward either [[John Quincy Adams]] or [[Henry Clay]], and he voted for Clay's confirmation as [[United States Secretary of State|Secretary of State]], notwithstanding Jackson's "[[corrupt bargain]]" charge. At the same time, he opposed the Adams-Clay plans for internal improvements and declined to support the proposal for a Panama Congress. As chairman of the Judiciary Committee, he brought forward a number of measures for the improvement of judicial procedure and, in May 1826, joined with Senator [[Thomas Hart Benton (senator)|Thomas Hart Benton]] in presenting a report on executive patronage. In the debate on the "[[Tariff of 1828|tariff of abominations]]" in 1828, he took no part but voted for the measure in obedience to instructions from the New York legislature&mdash;an action which was cited against him as late as the [[U.S. presidential election, 1844|presidential campaign of 1844]].

Martin Van Buren was not an orator, but his more important speeches show careful preparation and his opinions carried weight; the oft-repeated charge that he refrained from declaring himself on crucial questions is hardly borne out by an examination of his senatorial career. In February 1827, he was re-elected to the Senate by a large majority. He became one of the recognized managers of the Jackson campaign, and his tour of [[Virginia]], the [[Carolinas]], and [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]] in the spring of 1827 won support for Jackson from Crawford. Martin Van Buren sought to reorganize and unify "the old Republican party" behind Jackson.<ref>Martin Van Buren to [[Thomas Ritchie]], January 13, 1827.</ref> Van Buren helped create a grassroots style of politicking that is often seen today. At the state level, Jackson's committee chairmen would split up the responsibilities around the state and organize volunteers at the local level. "Hurra Boys" would plant hickory trees (in honor of Jackson's nickname, "Old Hickory") or hand out hickory sticks at rallies. Martin Van Buren even had a New York journalist write a campaign piece portraying Jackson as a humble, pious man. "Organization is the secret of victory," an editor in the Adams camp wrote. He once said to a group of lobbyists the famous quote and "By the want of it we have been overthrown." In 1828, Martin Van Buren was elected [[governor of New York]] for the term beginning on January 1, 1829, and resigned his seat in the Senate.

Martin Van Buren's tenure as New York governor is the second shortest on record, and nothing of note took place except for a large increase in the number of non land owning men enroling for the right to vote.

==The Jackson Cabinet==
On [[March 5]], he was appointed by President Jackson as [[United States Secretary of State|Secretary of State]], an office which probably had been assured to him before the election, and he resigned the governorship. He was succeeded in the governorship by his Lieutenant Governor, [[Enos T. Throop]], a member of the regency. As Secretary of State, Van Buren took care to keep on good terms with the "kitchen cabinet," the group of politicians who acted as Jackson's advisers. He won the lasting regard of Jackson by his courtesies to Mrs. John H. Eaton ([[Peggy Eaton]]), wife of the [[United States Secretary of War|Secretary of War]], with whom the wives of the cabinet officers had refused to associate. He did not oppose Jackson in the matter of removals from office but was not himself an active "spoilsman". He skillfully avoided entanglement in the Jackson-[[John C. Calhoun|Calhoun]] imbroglio.

[[Image:~vb2.jpg|thumb|left|200px|1832 Whig cartoon shows Jackson carrying Van Buren into office]]

No diplomatic questions of the first magnitude arose during Van Buren's service as secretary, but the settlement of long-standing claims against France was prepared and trade with the [[British West Indies]] colonies was opened. In the controversy with the [[Second Bank of the United States|Bank of the United States]], he sided with Jackson. After the breach between Jackson and Calhoun, Van Buren was clearly the most prominent candidate for the vice-presidency.

===Vice-Presidency===
In December 1829, Jackson had already made known his own wish that Van Buren should receive the nomination. In April 1831, Van Buren resigned from his secretary of state position, as a result of the [[Petticoat Affair]]- though he did not leave office until June. However, Van Buren still played a part in the Kitchen Cabinet.<ref>[http://reference.aol.com/columbia/_a/kitchen-cabinet/20051206185809990009 Kitchen Cabinet] Columbia Encyclopedia</ref> In August, he was appointed minister to the Court of St. James ([[United Kingdom]]), and he arrived in London in September. He was cordially received, but in February, he learned that his nomination had been rejected by the Senate on [[January 25]]. The rejection, ostensibly attributed in large part to Van Buren's instructions to [[Louis McLane]], the American minister to the United Kingdom, regarding the opening of the West Indies trade, in which reference had been made to the results of the election of 1828, was in fact the work of [[John C. Calhoun|Calhoun]], the vice-president. And when the vote was taken, enough of the majority refrained from voting to produce a tie and give Calhoun his longed-for "vengeance." No greater impetus than this could have been given to Van Buren's candidacy for the vice-presidency.

After a brief tour on through Europe, Van Buren reached New York on [[July 5]], [[1832]]. The [[1832 Democratic National Convention]] (the party's first), held in May of that year, had nominated him for vice-president on the Jackson ticket, despite the strong opposition to him which existed in many states. Van Buren's platform included supporting the expansion of the naval system. His declarations during the campaign were vague regarding the tariff and unfavorable to the United States Bank and to [[nullification]], but he had already somewhat placated the South by denying the right of Congress to abolish slavery in the [[Washington, D.C.|District of Columbia]] without the consent of the slave states.

==Election of 1836==
{{main|United States presidential election, 1836}}

It took Van Buren and his partisan friends a decade and a half to form the Democratic Party; many elements, such as the national convention, were borrowed from other parties. <ref> Holt (2003) 998</ref>
In the [[U.S. presidential election, 1832|election of 1832]], the Jackson-Van Buren ticket won by a landslide. When the election of 1836 came up, Jackson was determined to make Van Buren, his personal choice, president in order to continue his legacy. Martin Van Buren's only competitors in the 1836 election were the Whigs, who were badly split into several regional candidates. William Henry Harrison hoped to receive the support of the Western voters, Daniel Webster had strength in New England, and Hugh Lawson White had support in the South. Van Buren was [[unanimity|unanimously]] nominated by the [[1835 Democratic National Convention]] at [[Baltimore, Maryland|Baltimore]]. He expressed himself plainly on the questions of slavery and the bank at the same time voting, perhaps with a touch of bravado, for a bill offered in 1836 to subject [[abolition]] literature in the mails to the laws of the several states. Van Buren's [[U.S. presidential election, 1836|presidential victory]] represented a broader victory for Jackson and the party. Van Buren entered the White House as a fifty-five year old widower with four sons.

==Presidency 1837-1841==
===Policies===
Martin Van Buren announced his intention "to follow in the footsteps of his illustrious predecessor," and retained all but one of Jackson's cabinet. Van Buren had few economic tools to deal with the [[Panic of 1837|economic crisis of 1837]]. Van Buren advocated lower tariffs and free trade, and by doing so maintained support of the south for the Democratic party. He succeeded in setting up a system of bonds for the national debt. His party was so split that his 1837 proposal for an "Independent Treasury" system did not pass until 1840. It gave the Treasury control of all federal funds and had a legal tender clause that required (by 1843) all payments to be made in legal tender rather than in state bank notes. But the act was repealed in 1841 and never had much impact. Foreign affairs were complicated when several states defaulted on their state bonds, London complained, and Washington explained it had no responsibility for those bonds. British authors such as [[Charles Dickens]] then denounced the American failure to pay royalties, leading to a negative press in Britain regarding the financial honesty of America. The [[Caroline Affair]] involved Canadian rebels using New York bases to attack the government in Canada. On [[December 29]], [[1837]], Canadian government forces crossed the frontier into the US and burned the ''Caroline,'' which the rebels had been using. One American was killed, and an outburst of anti-British sentiment swept through the U.S. Van Buren sent the army to the frontier and closed the rebel bases. Van Buren tried to vigorously enforce the neutrality laws, but American public opinion favored the rebels. Boundary disputes in May brought Canadian and American lumberjacks into conflict. There was no bloodshed in this [[Aroostook War]], but it further inflamed public opinion on both sides.

In a bold step, Van Buren reversed Andrew Jackson's policies and sought for peace at home, as well as abroad. Instead of settling a financial dispute between American citizens and the Mexican government by force, Van Buren wanted to seek a diplomatic solution. Also, in August of 1837, Van Buren denied Texas's formal request to join the United States. "Van Buren gave a higher priority to sectional harmony than to territorial expansion" ("Martin Van Buren" 103-114).
In the [[Amistad Case]] Van Buren sided with the Spanish Government to return the kidnapped slaves. Also, he oversaw the "[[Trail of Tears]]", which involved the expulsion of the [[Cherokee|Cherokee tribe]] in 1838 from Georgia, Tennessee, Alabama, and South Carolina to the Oklahoma territory. Van Buren was determined to avoid war.

:"Van Buren entered the presidency not only as the heir to Jackson's policies, Jefferson's ideology of limited government, and Smith's principles of political economy, but also an accomplished politician with a statesmanlike vision of the dangers facing the nation. This complex heritage would shape the new president's response to the multiple challenges of 1837."("Martin Van Buren" 103-114){{Fact|date=December 2007|does this add anything at all?}}

In 1839, [[Joseph Smith, Jr.]], the founder of the [[Latter Day Saint movement]] visited Van Buren to plead for the U.S. to help roughly 40,000 Mormon settlers of Independence, Missouri, who were forced from the state in the [[Mormon War]] there. The Governor of Missouri, [[Lilburn Boggs]], had issued an executive order on [[27 October]] [[1838]], known as the "[[Extermination Order]]". It authorized troops to use force against Mormons to "exterminate or drive [them] from the state".<ref>{{cite web | title=Extermination Order | work=LDS FAQ | url=http://ldsfaq.byu.edu/emmain.asp?number=74 | accessdate=August 22| accessyear=2005}}</ref><ref>Boggs, Extermination Order</ref> In 1839, after moving to Illinois, Smith and his party appealed to congressman and to President Van Buren to intercede for the Mormons. According to Smith's grand-nephew, Van Buren said to Smith, "Your cause is just, but I can do nothing for you; if I take up for you I shall lose the vote of Missouri."<ref>{{cite journal
| last = Smith
| first = Joseph Fielding
| authorlink = Joseph Fielding Smith
| title = Church History and Modern Revelation
| volume = 4
| pages = 167&ndash;173
| publisher = Deseret
| date = 1946-1949 }}</ref>{{Fact|date=February 2007|corroboration needed}}

Van Buren took the blame for hard times, as Whigs ridiculed him as ''Martin Van Ruin''. Van Buren's rather elegant personal style was also an easy target for Whig attacks, such as the [[Gold Spoon Oration]]. State elections of 1837 and 1838 were disastrous for the Democrats, and the partial economic recovery in 1839 was offset by a second commercial crisis in that year. Nevertheless, Van Buren controlled his party and was unanimously renominated by the Democrats in 1840. The revolt against Democratic rule led to the [[U.S. presidential election, 1840|election]] of [[William Henry Harrison]], the [[United States Whig Party|Whig]] candidate.

===Administration and Cabinet===
[[Image:MVan Buren-portrait.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Portrait of Martin Van Buren]]
{{Infobox U.S. Cabinet
|align=left
|clear=yes
|Name=Van Buren
|President=Martin Van Buren
|President start=1837
|President end=1841
|Vice President=[[Richard M. Johnson]]
|Vice President start=1837
|Vice President end=1841
|State=[[John Forsyth (politician)|John Forsyth]]
|State start=1837
|State end=1841
|War=[[Joel R. Poinsett]]
|War start=1837
|War end=1841
|Treasury=[[Levi Woodbury]]
|Treasury start=1837
|Treasury end=1841
|Justice=[[Benjamin Franklin Butler (lawyer)|Benjamin F. Butler]]
|Justice start=1837
|Justice end=1838
|Justice 2=[[Felix Grundy]]
|Justice start 2=1838
|Justice end 2=1840
|Justice 3=[[Henry D. Gilpin]]
|Justice start 3=1840
|Justice end 3=1841
|Post=[[Amos Kendall]]
|Post start=1837
|Post end=1840
|Post 2=[[John M. Niles]]
|Post start 2=1840
|Post end 2=1841
|Navy=[[Mahlon Dickerson]]
|Navy start=1837
|Navy end=1838
|Navy 2=[[James K. Paulding]]
|Navy start 2=1838
|Navy end 2=1841
}}

=== Supreme Court appointments ===
Van Buren appointed the following Justices to the [[Supreme Court of the United States]]:

* [[John McKinley]] - 1838
* [[Peter Vivian Daniel]] - 1842

==Later life==
[[Image:Free Soil campaign banner.jpg|thumb|Free Soil campaign banner]]

On the expiration of his term, Van Buren retired to his estate, [[Lindenwald]] in Kinderhook, where he planned out his return to the White House. He seemed to have the advantage for the nomination in 1844; his famous letter of [[April 27]], [[1844]], in which he frankly opposed the immediate annexation of [[Texas]], though doubtless contributing greatly to his defeat, was not made public until he felt practically sure of the nomination. In the Democratic convention, though he had a majority of the votes, he did not have the two-thirds which the convention required, and after eight ballots his name was withdrawn. [[James K. Polk]] received the nomination instead.

In 1848, he was nominated by two minor parties, first by the "[[Barnburner]]" faction of the Democrats, then by the [[Free Soil Party|Free Soilers]], with whom the "Barnburners" coalesced. He won no electoral votes, but took enough votes in New York to give the state &mdash; and perhaps the election &mdash; to [[Zachary Taylor]]. In the election of 1860, he voted for the [[Electoral fusion|fusion]] ticket in New York which was opposed to [[Abraham Lincoln]], but he could not approve of [[James Buchanan|President Buchanan's]] course in dealing with secession and eventually supported Lincoln.

Martin Van Buren then retired to his home in Kinderhook. After being bedridden with a case of pneumonia during the fall of 1861, Martin Van Buren died of bronchial [[asthma]] and [[heart failure]] at his Lindenwald estate in Kinderhook at 2:00 a.m. on [[July 24]], [[1862]]. He is buried in the [[Kinderhook Cemetery]].<ref>{{cite book | author=Lamb, Brian & the C-SPAN staff | title=Who's Buried in Grant's Tomb?: A Tour of Presidential Gravesites | location=Washington, DC | publisher=NationaL Cable Satellite Corporation | year=2000 | id=ISBN 1-881846-07-5}}</ref>

==Trivia==
{{Trivia|date=June 2007}}[[Image:martin van buren stamp.JPG|thumb|right|Van Buren postage stamp]]
*In an episode of [[The Monkees]] entitled "Dance, Monkee, Dance", Martin Van Buren is the answer to a trivia question entitling callers to a free dance lesson. Later in the episode, Van Buren himself shows up for the lesson.
*In 1842, Van Buren was campaigning in Indiana. In the town of Plainfield, the former President was ejected from his carriage by the roots of an elm tree into a large puddle of mud. Sources say that the townsfolk did this on purpose to protest a bill Van Buren vetoed. The elm tree became known as the Van Buren elm, and a nearby elementary school now bears Van Buren's name.[http://townofplainfield.com/town/history]
*Van Buren was given epithets by his enemies including ''Martin Van Ruin,'' and ''The Little Magician.'' He was also known as "The Red Fox of Kinderhook" because of his bright red hair and slyness.
*During Van Buren's presidential campaign of 1840 supporters popularized his nickname "Old Kinderhook," which was abbreviated as "OK." "OK Clubs" were set up. It is possible that this helped popularize "[[Okay|OK]]" .
*In [[Gore Vidal]]'s novel [[Burr (novel)|''Burr]],'' Van Buren is secretly the illegitimate son of [[Aaron Burr]].
*In a popular episode of [[Seinfeld]] entitled "[[The Van Buren Boys]]," [[Cosmo Kramer|Kramer]] and [[George Costanza|George]] are threatened by a street gang called the Van Buren Boys with the secret sign of the number 8 because Van Buren was the 8th president. They apparently picked that name because Van Buren was the man they most admired. The gang is apparently "every bit as mean as he was".
* Along with the traditional vampire motiff, Martin Van Buren's look was also part of the inspiration for the appearance of the "Grandpa" character on the TV show, [[The Munsters]]
*In the 2000 [[PBS]] documentary series ''The American President'', Van Buren's voice was provided by [[Mario Cuomo]]. ([http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0271895/]). In the 1997 film [[Amistad (film)|Amistad]], he was played, more conventionally, by [[Nigel Hawthorne]].
*Van Buren was the first president to grant an exclusive interview to a reporter, [[James Gordon Bennett, Sr.]], of the [[New York Herald]] in [[1839]].<ref>Paletta, Lu Ann and Worth, Fred L. (1988). "The World Almanac of Presidential Facts". </ref>

==See also==
*[[Second Party System]]
*[[American election campaigns in the 19th century]]
*[[U.S. presidential election, 1832]]
*[[U.S. presidential election, 1836]]
*[[U.S. presidential election, 1840]]
*[[U.S. presidential election, 1848]]
*[[Divorce bill]]

==References==
=== Secondary sources===
* Cole, Donald B. ''Martin Van Buren And The American Political System'' (2004) ISBN 1-59091-029-X
* Curtis, James C. ''The Fox at Bay: Martin Van Buren and the Presidency, 1837-1841'' (1970) ISBN 0-8131-1214-1
*Gammon, Samuel Rhea Gammon. ''[http://www.archive.org/download/prescampaign00gammrich/prescampaign00gammrich.pdf The Presidential Campaign of 1832]'' ([[PDF]]) (1922) ISBN 0-8371-4827-8
*Henretta, James A.. "Martin Van Buren."The American Presidency . 1st. 2004. ISBN 0-618-38273-9
* Holt, Michael. ''The Rise and Fall of the American Whig Party: Jacksonian Politics and the Onset of the Civil War'' (2003) [http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=99173945 online edition]
* Niven, John. ''Martin Van Buren: The Romantic Age of American Politics'' (2000) ISBN 0-945707-25-8
* Remini, Robert V. ''Martin Van Buren and the Making of the Democratic Party'' (1959) ISBN 0-231-02288-3 [http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=100692541 online edition]
* Schouler, James. '' History of the United States of America: Under the Constitution vol. 4. 1831-1847. Democrats and Whigs.'' (1917) [http://books.google.com/books?vid=OCLC15799162&id=Ff2XRHSDkA4C&pg=PA1&lpg=PA1&dq=schouler+history online edition]
* Silbey, Joel. ''Martin Van Buren and the Emergence of American Popular Politics'' (2002) ISBN 0-7425-2244-X
* Wilson, Major L. ''The Presidency of Martin Van Buren'' (1984) ISBN 0-7006-0238-0
* "[http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h350.html Election of 1836]." U.S History. 2005. Online Highways. 4 Apr. 2006.

===Primary sources===
* Van Buren, Martin. ''Autobiography'' (1918) ISBN 0-678-00531-1. The text of the autobiography is contained within the ''[http://www.archive.org/details/AnnualReportOfTheAmericanHistoricalAssociationForTheYear1918Ii Annual Report Of The American Historical Association For The Year 1918]'', Volume II, John C. Fitzpatrick, ed.
* Van Buren, Martin. Van Buren, Abraham, [[John Van Buren|Van Buren, John]], ed. ''[http://books.google.com/books?vid=LCCN12023638&id=Y5GUyUj4XY4C&printsec=titlepage Inquiry Into the Origin and Course of Political Parties in the United States]'' (1867) ISBN 1-4181-2924-0.

===Footnotes===
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
{{Commons}}
{{wikiquote}}
{{Wikisource author}}
*[http://www.millercenter.virginia.edu/index.php/academic/americanpresident/vanburen Extensive essay on Martin Van Buren and shorter essays on each member of his cabinet and First Lady from the Miller Center of Public Affairs]
*[http://www.american-presidents.com/presidents/martin-van-buren Martin Van Buren Biography and Fact File], via American-presidents.com
*{{CongBio|V000009}}
*[http://www.whitehouse.gov/history/presidents/mb8.html Biography], via White House
*[http://martinvanburen.org Biography by Appleton's and Stanley L. Klos]
*[http://www.kinderhookconnection.com/history4.htm Van Buren biography], from Kinderhook Connection
*[http://www.yale.edu/lawweb/avalon/presiden/inaug/vanburen.htm Inaugural Address], via yale.edu
*[http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~dutchapples/vbcmdesc1.html The van Buren Family, since the 17th century], via rootsweb.com
* State of the Union Addresses:
**[http://www.usa-presidents.info/union/vanburen-1.html First State of the Union Address of Martin Van Buren], via usa-presidents.info
**[http://www.usa-presidents.info/union/vanburen-2.html Second State of the Union Address of Martin Van Buren], via usa-presidents.info
**[http://www.usa-presidents.info/union/vanburen-3.html Third State of the Union Address of Martin Van Buren], via usa-presidents.info
**[http://www.usa-presidents.info/union/vanburen-4.html Fourth State of the Union Address of Martin Van Buren], via usa-presidents.info
*[http://www.nps.gov/mava/ Martin Van Buren National Historic Site (Lindenwald)]
*[http://www.doctorzebra.com/prez/g08.htm Medical and Health history of Martin van Buren], via doctorzebra.com
*[http://www.independent.org/publications/tir/article.asp?issueID=24&articleID=289 Martin Van Buren: The Greatest American President], via independent.org
*[http://www.mises.org/mp3/Pres/Pres11a.mp3 Martin Van Buren: What Greatness Really Means] Audio lecture. Great presidents keep America ''out'' of war.
* {{gutenberg author| id=Martin+Van+Buren | name=Martin Van Buren}}
*[http://www.american-presidents.org/2007/06/martin-van-buren-and-nullification.html Martin Van Buren and the Nullification Crisis]
*[http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=1054 Profile of Martin van Buren] at [[Find A Grave]]
*[http://www.vanburenskits.com Van Buren Skits]A website [[ARG]] for skits about a fictional version of Martin Van Buren.

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{{s-ref|The [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic Party]] vice-presidential nominee was split these years between two candidates.}}

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<!-- Metadata: see [[Wikipedia:Persondata]] -->

{{Persondata
|NAME = Van Buren, Martin
|ALTERNATIVE NAMES =
|SHORT DESCRIPTION = American politician
|DATE OF BIRTH = [[December 5]] [[1782]]
|PLACE OF BIRTH = [[Kinderhook (village), New York]]
|DATE OF DEATH = [[July 24]] [[1862]]
|PLACE OF DEATH = [[Kinderhook (village), New York]]
}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Van Buren, Martin}}
[[Category:Presidents of the United States]]
[[Category:Vice Presidents of the United States]]
[[Category:United States Secretaries of State]]
[[Category:New York politicians]]
[[Category:Andrew Jackson]]
[[Category:People from Capital District, New York]]
[[Category:People from Columbia County, New York]]
[[Category:Dutch Americans]]
[[Category:Deaths from asthma]]
[[Category:Deaths from cardiovascular disease]]
[[Category:1782 births]]
[[Category:1862 deaths]]
[[Category:Reformed Church in America Christians]]
[[Category:United States Senators from New York]]
[[Category:Democratic Party (United States) vice presidential nominees]]
[[Category:Democratic Party (United States) presidential nominees]]
[[Category:Governors of New York]]
[[Category:United States presidential candidates, 1836]]
[[Category:United States presidential candidates, 1840]]
[[Category:United States presidential candidates, 1844]]
[[Category:United States presidential candidates, 1848]]

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[[be:Марцін Ван Бюран]]
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[[bg:Мартин Ван Бурен]]
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[[fr:Martin Van Buren]]
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[[ko:마틴 밴 뷰런]]
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[[he:מרטין ון ביורן]]
[[pam:Martin Van Buren]]
[[ka:მარტინ ვან ბურენი]]
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[[la:Martinus Van Buren]]
[[lv:Martins Van Burens]]
[[hu:Martin Van Buren]]
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[[ja:マーティン・ヴァン・ビューレン]]
[[no:Martin Van Buren]]
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[[ru:Ван Бюрен, Мартин]]
[[sq:Martin Van Buren]]
[[simple:Martin Van Buren]]
[[sl:Martin Van Buren]]
[[sr:Мартин Ван Бјурен]]
[[sh:Martin Van Buren]]
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[[sv:Martin Van Buren]]
[[ta:மார்ட்டின் வான் பியூரன்]]
[[vi:Martin Van Buren]]
[[tr:Martin van Buren]]
[[yi:מארטין וואן ביורען]]
[[zh:馬丁·范·貝倫]]

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