Difference between revisions of "Martin Van Buren"
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Revision as of 20:34, June 17, 2008
| Martin Van Buren | |
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| 8th President of the United States | |
| Term of office March 4, 1837 - March 4, 1841 | |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Vice President | Richard M. Johnson |
| Preceded by | Andrew Jackson |
| Succeeded by | William Henry Harrison |
| 8th Vice-President of the United States | |
| Term of office March 4, 1833 - March 4, 1837 | |
| President | Andrew Jackson |
| Preceded by | John C. Calhoun |
| Succeeded by | Richard M. Johnson |
| Born | December 5, 1782 Kinderhook, New York |
| Died | July 24, 1862 Kinderhook, New York |
| Spouse | Hannah Hoes Van Buren |
| Religion | Dutch Reformed |
Martin Van Buren was the 8th President of the United States of America, serving in office from 1837 to 1841. His nicknames were multifarious and ranged from "The Little Magician" to "The Red Fox of Kinderhook" to "Old Kinderhook." Van Buren had the misfortune to inherit a financial panic caused by Andrew Jackson's foolish and meddlesome scheme which resulted in the dissolution of the Second Bank of the United States and the establishment of "wildcat" banks. When he ran for election in 1840, Van Buren lost to William Henry Harrison, a veteran of the Indian wars, whose running mate was John Tyler of Virginia. "The Red Fox of Kinderhook" could not match the populatity of "Tippecanoe and Tyler Too" and their promise of "Two Dollars a Day and Roast Beef."
Early in Van Buren's presidency, the Panic of 1837 struck, which was the greatest financial crisis up to that point in American history. The crisis stemmed from excessive land speculation, which followed former President Andrew Jackson's policy of moving federal money into state banks and his creation of the Specie Circular. [1] Van Buren chose to do nothing and ride out the crisis, which led to a downfall in his popularity, and his being given the nickname "Martin Van Ruin".
Van Buren is noted for being an early contributor to the creation of the Democratic Party as well as Jacksonian Democracy. He also unsuccessfully ran for president in 1848 as a part of a third party, the Free Soil Party.
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