Today in History

Martin Van Buren, eighth president of the United States and founder of the Democratic Party, was born on December 5, 1782 in Kinderhook, New York. Just five feet six inches tall, Van Buren earned the nicknames "The Little Magician," and the "Red Fox of Kinderhook" for his legendary skill in political manipulation. Alongside his gift for politics, however, Van Buren harbored a strong sense of idealism that led him, late in his career, to oppose the westward expansion of slavery.

Van Buren rose to national fame under the wing of Andrew Jackson, who defeated President John Quincy Adams in his 1828 bid for a second term. Before coming to Washington as a senator in 1821, Van Buren crafted the powerful New York political machine known as the "Albany Regency." In 1825, he put his formidable political skills at Jackson's disposal.

Van Buren became "Old Hickory"'s strongest Northern supporter in the election of 1828, and Jackson rewarded him with an appointment as secretary of state. The election, the first in which a candidate directly appealed for the popular vote, marked a turning point in American politics and led to the emergence of the Democratic Party.

When Jackson sought a second term in 1832, Van Buren ran for vice president. On January 13, 1833, Jackson wrote a letter to his second-in-command reiterating his determination to stand firm in the Nullification Crisis of 1832-33. The letter also reveals the president's personal relationship with Van Buren, then his most trusted advisor. "I have read several letters from you which remain unanswered," he begins:

You know I am a bad correspondent at any time-lately I have been indisposed by cold, and surrounded with the nullification of the south, and the Indians in the south and west; that has occupied all of my time, not leaving me a moment for private friendship, or political discussion with a friend.

President Andrew Jackson to Vice-President Van Buren,
January 13, 1833.
Words and Deeds in American History

In 1837, Van Buren succeeded Jackson in the White House. Three months later, the Panic of 1837 sent the national economy into a tailspin. Van Buren's inability to alleviate the depression, along with his opposition to the annexation of Texas on grounds it would lead to expansion of slavery, led to his drubbing by Whig candidate William Henry Harrison in 1840. He retired to Lindenwald, his Kinderhook estate, where he died in 1862.