{"id":17872,"date":"2024-06-22T12:00:03","date_gmt":"2024-06-22T16:00:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/capitalcitiesusa.org\/?p=17872"},"modified":"2024-09-03T18:00:30","modified_gmt":"2024-09-03T22:00:30","slug":"8-van-buren-martin","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/capitalcitiesusa.org\/?p=17872","title":{"rendered":"#8. Van Buren, Martin"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Linda Lou Burton posting from Little Rock, Arkansas <\/em>\u2013 Martin Van Buren (December 5, 1782 – July 24, 1862) was the eighth president of the United States (1837-1841). It may be disheartening to be remembered as one of the \u201cmost forgettable\u201d presidents, but that\u2019s where historians tend to rank him. When they remember. There are a few unique things about Martin you may want to remember though. He was the first president born in the United States, and the first president for which English was a second language. Yes, that actually does make sense; the first seven presidents were born on soil that later BECAME the United States and they fought tooth and toenail to make it happen. By the time Martin was born in Kinderhook, New York, a little town on the Hudson River just south of Albany, things had calmed down. His father Abraham was a Patriot during the American Revolution; he owned an inn and tavern in Kinderhook and also was town clerk. Martin\u2019s mother Maria already had three children when she married Abraham; together they had five; Martin was third. And Martin\u2019s family spoke DUTCH. \u201cMaarten\u201d didn\u2019t learn English until he started to school. He got a basic education at the village schoolhouse, briefly studied Latin at Kinderhook Academy, and went on to Washington Seminary at Claverack. But with a father as a tavern keeper, perhaps Martin\u2019s most valuable experience growing up was being able to interact with many different types of people. Yes, you\u2019d want him to come to your party, and sure, he\u2019d be there, mingling and talking with everyone.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Martin\u2019s nickname was \u201cLittle Van;\u201d he was 5\u20196\u201d and slight. At the age of 14 he began reading law at the office of Peter Silvester. Life in Martin\u2019s family was pretty \u201cdown to earth\u201d and casual; his clothing was homespun and rough. The Silvesters chided him about that; not an appearance suitable for an aspiring lawyer! Martin listened to what they said; he began to dress, and behave, in a more, \u201cupscale\u201d manner. Except he stayed true to his father\u2019s Democratic-Republican leanings. How did that work out for Martin?<\/p>\n

New York New York<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Silvesters decided he should complete his education with a Democratic-Republican attorney; so off he went (spiffy clothes and all) to New York City, and an apprenticeship with William Van Ness, a political lieutenant of Aaron Burr. And that got him into the intricacies of politics. He was admitted to the New York bar in 1803, at the age of 21. In his lifetime, he was elected or appointed to eight different jobs in government.\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Government Positions<\/strong><\/p>\n