The Panic of 1837 (1837)
Financial crisis that began weeks after his inauguration and led to years of depression
US Presidents · 19th century
Martin Van Buren
1782–1862 · American
Democratic (later Free Soil)
In office: 1837–1841
Martin Van Buren, the 8th president, was a master New York political organiser and Andrew Jackson's chosen successor. Born in 1782, he was the first president born a citizen of the United States. His single term was overshadowed by the Panic of 1837, and he later ran for president again as the anti-slavery-extension Free Soil candidate in 1848.
How to spot them
- ▸'The Little Magician' and 'Old Kinderhook', from his birthplace, Kinderhook, New York
- ▸First president born after American independence; grew up speaking Dutch
- ▸The Panic of 1837; opponents called him 'Martin Van Ruin'
- ▸Jackson's Secretary of State and Vice President
In office
The Independent Treasury Act (1840)
Kept federal funds in government vaults rather than private banks; repealed in 1841 and restored in 1846
The Caroline Affair on the Niagara River (1837)
British-Canadian forces burned an American steamer aiding Canadian rebels, raising tension with Britain
Free Soil Party presidential candidacy (1848)
Ran again, unsuccessfully, on a platform opposing the spread of slavery into the territories
Quick-fire facts
- •Built the 'Albany Regency', one of the first political machines, in New York
- •The forced removal of the Cherokee on the Trail of Tears took place in 1838, during his presidency
- •His nickname 'Old Kinderhook' helped popularise the expression 'OK' during the 1840 campaign
- •Lost re-election in 1840 to William Henry Harrison's 'log cabin' campaign
- •His retirement home was Lindenwald in Kinderhook
Drill it — 6 cards
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Sources
- Miller Center, University of Virginia — Martin Van Buren