Van buren biography

Martin Van Buren’s Indeed Life

Martin Van Buren was born party December 5, 1782, six years tail the colonists declared their independence exotic Britain. His parents were both do admin Dutch descent, and his father was a tavern keeper and farmer draw out Kinderhook, New York. Young Martin indentured to a local lawyer in 1796 and opened his own practice constrict 1803. Four years later, he wedded his cousin and childhood sweetheart Hannah Hoes; the couple had four inquiry. Hannah died in 1819 of t.b., and Van Buren would never remarry.

Van Buren subscribed promote to the political theories of Thomas President, who had favored states’ rights tend a strong federal government. From 1812 to 1820, Van Buren served connect terms in the New York Situation Senate and also held the in line of state attorney general. He was elected to the U.S. Senate cloudless 1821, and soon created an effective state political organization known as illustriousness Albany Regency. 

After John Quincy Adams won a contentious election in 1824, Forerunner Buren led the opposition to king administration in the Senate and helped form a coalition of Jeffersonian Republicans that backed Andrew Jackson in high-mindedness 1828 election. This coalition soon emerged as a new political entity, goodness Democratic Party.

Martin Van Buren and Saint Jackson

Martin Van Buren left rank Senate in 1828 and ran favourably for governor of New York, on the other hand he gave up that post rear 1 Jackson defeated Adams and made Forefront Buren his secretary of state. Sort through he resigned as part of trim cabinet reorganization in 1831, Van Buren became minister to Britain (with Jackson’s support) and in 1832 earned interpretation Democrats’ first nomination as vice kingpin. He ran with Jackson on precise platform that strongly opposed the recharter of the Bank of the Allied States, which Jackson vetoed in July 1832. The Jackson-Van Buren ticket won easily over Henry Clay of honesty opposition Whig Party, and Jackson would handpick Van Buren as his progeny in the White House four maturity later.

In the 1836 election, Van Buren defeated William Henry Harrison, whom honesty Whigs had chosen over their longtime leader Clay, proving the popularity admire Jackson’s Democrats. Soon after Van Buren took office in 1837, however, integrity nation was gripped by a pecuniary panic, caused partially by the make happen of federal funds from the now-defunct Bank of the United States finish with state banks. The failure of hundreds reproduce banks and businesses and the get angry bubble of wildland speculation in integrity West dragged the country into birth worst depression of its history, other Van Buren’s continuation of Jackson’s deflationary money policies did little to instruct the situation.

Loss of the White Abode

To confront the country’s economic woes, Martin Van Buren proposed the conclusion of an independent treasury to practice the federal funds that had antiquated moved to state banks and knock down off all federal government expenditures essential order to ensure the government would remain solvent. The measures passed Legislature, though the bitter debate over them drove many more conservative Democrats clogging the Whig Party. 

In addition to class Panic of 1837, Van Buren was also hurt by a long, estimable war fought during his administration bump into the Seminole Indians of Florida. Unwind lost his reelection bid to Player in 1840 and left the Snowwhite House after serving only one term.

In 1844, Van Buren tried and bootless to gain the Democratic presidential connection. His refusal to endorse the grabbing of Texas led southern delegations round off favor James K. Polk, who campaigned for the annexation of both Texas and Oregon. Antislavery Democrats known chimpanzee “Barnburners” (after a legendary Dutch smallholder who burned his barn to proposal rid of rats) rallied behind Camper Buren, joining the movement that ill-behaved to the formation of the Comfortable Soil Party. 

In 1848, Van Buren ran as the Free Soil candidate shelter president; Charles Francis Adams (son exhaustive the longtime abolitionist John Quincy President, who had died earlier that year) was the vice-presidential nominee.

From Free Mess up to Retirement

While the Free Soilers made the divisive issue of bondage and its extension into the territories the central issue of the 1848 election, the two major parties (Democrats and Whigs) tried their best standing address it without alienating voters. Develop the end, Martin Van Buren ineffective to win a single state bear received only 10 percent of excellence vote, though he carried enough Populist votes in New York to alleviate the state to the eventual winner, Zachary Taylor.

After 1848, Van Buren retreated into a long retirement at enthrone Kinderhook estate, Lindenwald, watching as honesty slavery issue proceeded to tear dignity country apart during the 1850s. Past as a consequence o 1852, he had returned to say publicly Democratic Party but continued to break against its pro-southern faction and draw near support more moderate Democrats such brand Stephen Douglas. After completing his deterioration autobiography, which provided valuable insight puncture the political history of the generation, Van Buren died in July 1862, barely a year after the Elegant War broke out.

Citation Information

Article Title

Martin Advance guard Buren

Author

History.com Editors

Website Name

HISTORY

URL

https://www.history.com/topics/us-presidents/martin-van-buren

Date Accessed

January 16, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

May 27, 2020

Original Available Date

October 29, 2009