Martin Van Buren

He was married to Hannah Hoes, who was his first cousin and childhood sweetheart. They had four sons and one daughter.

On February 5, 1819, Hannah Van Buren passed away after 12 years of marriage due to tuberculosis. She was 35 years old at the time of her death.

Martin Van Buren passed away at the age of 79 due to bronchial asthma and heart failure, at his Lindenwald estate in Kinderhook. His body was interred at the Kinderhook Cemetery.

Martin Van Buren was born in Kinderhook, New York. His father, named Abraham, was a man of limited means, a farmer and tavern owner, who supported American Revolution.

Listening to various political get-togethers at his father’s tavern, he developed a sharp political acumen.

He received his elementary education in his small village school and then transferred to the Kinderhook Academy, where he studied Latin before attending the Washington Seminary in Claverack.

By the time he turned 14, his father could no longer afford his college tuition fee and therefore Martin began working at the office of Francis Sylvester. In 1803, his hard work paid off, when he received admission to the bar.

He joined active politics since he was 17 years old, however he got his major breakthrough in 1812, when he became a member of the New York State Senate.

Later in 1815, he was appointed as the attorney general of New York. These posts allowed him to hone his political skills and he proved himself as serious political leader.

While serving his second term as the New York Senator, he lost his wife; despite this personal setback he did not relent in pursuing his political ambitions and was elected as a United States Senator in 1821.

After the presidential elections of 1824, he along with some other key members of Democratic-Republican Party, like Andrew Jackson, William Crawford and John Calhoun formed an alternate party.

He was elected as the governor of New York, in 1828; therefore, he resigned from his Senate post.

He became the first U.S. President, who was born as an American citizen.

He grew up in a Dutch community of Kinderhook and growing up spoke Dutch as his first language rather than English.

He paved the foundation of a new party based on the agenda of minimalist government, this group later evolved as the Democratic Party.

Several nick names stuck to him throughout his political career, including The Careful Dutchman, The Enchanter, The Red Fox of Kinderhook, The Great Manager, Martin Van Ruin, The Mistletoe Politician, and Little Matt etc.