Martin Van Buren facts for kids

Martin Van Buren Facts For Kids -  social studies skills studied in 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th grades.

8th President of the USA

The 8th President of the United States is Martin Van Buren, who served for a single term, which was four years from 1837 to 1841. He belonged to the Democratic Party and also served as a Vice President from 1833 to 1837 before he took office as the President of the United States. He had also served as Secretary of State from 1829 to 1831.
Early life
Born on December 5, 1782, in the village of Kinderhook, New York, Martin Van Buren was of Dutch ancestry. Interestingly, though, he was the first President of the United States to be born in the United States after the declaration of Independence. Like many other families in Kinderhook, the Van Burens too spoke Dutch at home. He is also the only President of the United States for whom English was his second language. Due to being only 5 feet 6 inches tall as an adult, he was often referred to as Little Van.
Formal education
After completing his basic education at the village schoolhouse, he also had brief stints at Kinderhook Academy and Washington Seminary before he began reading law at the office Silvesters. Van Buren took the advice of Silvesters and modeled himself on them with his dressing style and public conduct to improve his professional prospects. Van Buren was admitted to the Bar in 1803 after completing his apprenticeship with William P. Van Ness.
Family
Martin Van Buren’s parents were Abraham Van Buren and Maria Hoes. He married his childhood sweetheart Hannah Hoes, also from Dutch descent. They had five sons and a daughter. Though his wife Hannah succumbed to Tuberculosis after 12 years of marriage, Van Buren never remarried.
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Career
Van Buren was active in politics early in his life from the age of 18. Appointed as Surrogate of Columbia County, New York, Van Buren served this post from 1808 until 1813. He also served as a member of the New York State Senate from 1813 to 1820 and served as the New York Attorney General from the year 1815 to 1819.

Elected U.S. Senator from New York in the year 1821, Van Buren though not a very good orator, made carefully prepared speeches with his opinions carrying a lot of weight. He was re-elected to the Senate in 1828 and became a leading figure of the Jackson Presidential campaign. He also served a short term as Governor of New York in 1829. The same year, President Jackson appointed him as the Secretary of State and he resigned from the Governor’s post.
He was a close advisor of President Jackson. They won the 1832 Presidential election, which led to Van Buren becoming the Vice President of the United States in March 1833. Jackson wanted Van Buren as his successor in the 1836 Presidential election so that his policies would be continued. Martin Van Buren unanimously won the 1835 Democratic National Convention.
His opponents in the Presidential election were the Whigs, however Martin Van Buren managed to win comfortably with 170 electoral votes. The one main issue that happened during his presidential tenure is the Panic of 1837 that led to five years of depression. This resulted in his defeat in the next election in 1840.
Retired life
He retired to his estate in Kinderhook and continued to be active in the Democratic Party. His health started failing in 1861 and he finally passed away on July 24, 1862, aged 79. Many counties, cities and towns in the United States have been named after Van Buren to honor him.