Sparks Commentary: The complicated legacy of Martin Van Buren

Martin Van Buren was part of the “Jacksonian Era,” named after the controversial Andrew Jackson. Nonetheless, historians usually begin the era back in 1824 – when Andrew Jackson was defeated by John Quincy Adams. Jackson would later win his rematch with Adams, and was then elected to his two terms … as our first Democratic president. These terms are well-remembered, and most Americans know Andrew Jackson’s name. But most people do not know the name of his immediate successor, who served in three major positions in Andrew Jackson’s administration. That person was Martin Van Buren. Despite being born in Revolutionary-era New York, Van Buren owned at least one slave, because slavery was then legal in the District of Columbia – where he worked as a politician. But Van Buren would walk a tightrope with regards to slavery, which would be important later on in his career. He is also remembered for his handling of the Panic of 1837, and for the costly Second Seminole War.

Martin Van Buren

Early life and career, through the presidential elections of 1836

Martin Van Buren was born in New York in 1782. This was after America had declared its independence, and even after the 1781 British surrender at Yorktown. But America’s independence was not yet recognized by the mother country. This happened in 1783, some months after Van Buren’s birth. New York State had once been part of “New Netherland,” with its capital at “New Amsterdam” – at what is now New York City. This helps to explain why New York still had a significant Dutch-speaking population. Martin Van Buren’s father was descended from early Dutch emigrants to New Netherland. Martin Van Buren’s mother was also of Dutch extraction. Thus, significantly, Van Buren grew up in a Dutch-speaking home. He is thus the only president who had to learn English as a second language. And, significantly, he was also the first president with no British ancestry. (But I’m getting ahead of myself here.) Martin Van Buren’s mother had three children from her first marriage, and five children from Martin Van Buren’s own father. The father was the mother’s second and final husband. (The first husband had died earlier.) Martin Van Buren learned Latin in school, as well as English. Martin Van Buren read for the law, and was admitted to the New York state bar as a lawyer. Like his father, Martin Van Buren was then a member of the Democratic-Republican Party – not to be confused with modern Democrats or Republicans. He married his only wife Hannah Hoes in 1807. Like Van Buren himself, her native language was Dutch, and she spoke English with a marked accent. But she died in 1819, when Van Buren was only 35. Martin Van Buren never remarried. However, he did serve as a member of the New York State Senate – and, later on, as the Attorney General of New York. Later, he became a United States Senator from New York, and then the Governor of New York. But he resigned from being Governor after only two months, so that he could serve in President Andrew Jackson’s administration. It would be his launching pad for the presidency. (Incidentally, I should mention that Martin Van Buren was, by then, a Democrat – like his ally Andrew Jackson.)

Martin Van Buren

With the help of Andrew Jackson, Van Buren is elected president in 1836

Martin Van Buren served for two years as Jackson’s Secretary of State. But, when Andrew Jackson was hit by the scandal of the “Petticoat Affair” (a social ostracizing scandal), all but one of his Cabinet members resigned. This included the resignation of Martin Van Buren. Then Van Buren served for eight months as Jackson’s ambassador to Britain. During Jackson’s first term of office, the vice president was John C. Calhoun. But Calhoun supported the idea that states have the right to “nullify” federal laws. President Jackson disagreed strongly with this doctrine. Thus, Calhoun actually resigned as vice president in December 1832, weeks after Andrew Jackson was re-elected. He is one of only two vice presidents ever to do so, the other being Spiro Agnew in the twentieth century. In December 1832, there was some intervening time before Jackson’s second inauguration for Jackson to choose someone else as vice president. Thus, Jackson chose Martin Van Buren, and Martin Van Buren served as the vice president during Jackson’s second term. Following the precedent started by Thomas Jefferson some decades earlier, Andrew Jackson declined to run for a third term. Thus, Andrew Jackson handpicked Martin Van Buren as his successor. But Van Buren would actually have to win a presidential election, before he could enter the White House for himself – being picked by Jackson wasn’t enough. The Whig political party had emerged three years earlier in 1833. Thus, it was not yet sufficiently organized to unite behind a single candidate. They were united only in opposition to Andrew Jackson. Thus, the Whigs had four presidential candidates in 1836. Each of the four would win some electoral votes that year. The four Whigs combined got 49% of the popular vote, and 42.2% of the electoral vote, in 1836. Of these four Whig candidates, the most successful was the future president William Henry Harrison. By contrast, Martin Van Buren won 50.8% of the popular vote (an actual majority), and 57.8% of the electoral vote. Thus, Martin Van Buren had just been elected the eighth president of the United States. He was the second such president to be a Democrat.

Martin Van Buren

An anecdote about Van Buren’s refusal to help Joseph Smith

However, as Wikipedia puts it, Martin Van Buren’s popularity “soon eroded because of his response to the Panic of 1837, which centered on his Independent Treasury system, a plan under which the federal government of the United States would store its funds in vaults rather than in banks; more conservative Democrats and Whigs in Congress ultimately delayed his plan from being implemented until 1840. His presidency was further marred by the costly Second Seminole War and his refusal to admit Texas to the Union as a slave state.” (Source: Their page on “Martin Van Buren”) In 1839, Van Buren met with Joseph Smith, the first prophet of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Joseph Smith told President Van Buren about how his church had been persecuted by various state governments. Van Buren responded: “Gentlemen, your cause is just, but I can do nothing for you. . . . If I take up for you, I shall lose the Vote of Missouri.” Thus, he did nothing to stop the persecution of the “Mormons” (as they were then called). I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints myself. Thus, Van Buren’s lack of action on this persecution concerns me a bit.

Martin Van Buren

Martin Van Buren is re-nominated in 1840, but loses his bid for re-election that year

In 1839, the opposing Whigs held their first national convention. Henry Clay and Winfield Scott were two major Whig candidates, but the nomination instead went to William Henry Harrison. Van Buren faced little opposition at the 1840 Democratic National Convention. In the previous presidential election, Richard Mentor Johnson had only been elected vice president via the backup plans in the Twelfth Amendment. (More about those here.) More specifically, he was chosen by the Senate. But, in 1840, the Democrats failed to nominate any vice president at all. William Henry Harrison, by contrast, had John Tyler as his running mate. This would prove crucial later on. Martin Van Buren won 48.8% of the popular vote in 1840, and 20.4% of the electoral vote. William Henry Harrison won 52.9% of the popular vote in 1840, and 79.6% of the electoral vote. Thus, William Henry Harrison had just been elected the ninth president of the United States, and John Tyler had just been elected as his vice president. Martin Van Buren had now been voted out. But William Henry Harrison would die of natural causes after 31 days. Thus, John Tyler would soon be the next president.

Martin Van Buren

Van Buren tries multiple times to return to the White House, but controversies remain

In fairness to Van Buren, he did oppose the admission of Texas as a slave state. This is part of why he lost his attempt to return to the White House in 1844. Southern Democrats were angry at Van Buren for this, and so instead nominated James K. Polk that year. As Wikipedia puts it, “Growing opposed to slavery, Van Buren was the newly formed Free Soil Party's presidential nominee in 1848, and his candidacy helped Whig nominee Zachary Taylor defeat Democrat Lewis Cass. Worried about sectional tensions, Van Buren returned to the Democratic Party after 1848 but was disappointed with the pro-southern presidencies of Franklin Pierce and James Buchanan. During the American Civil War, Van Buren was a War Democrat who supported the policies of President Abraham Lincoln, a Republican. He died of asthma at his home in Kinderhook in 1862, aged 79.” (Source: Their page on “Martin Van Buren”) Van Buren is usually ranked as an average or below-average president, partially because of his handling of the Panic of 1837. Personally, I might rank him even lower than that. Either way, though, his presidency certainly left its mark upon American history.

Footnote to this blog post:

I mentioned earlier that, in 1836, Richard Mentor Johnson became Van Buren’s vice president in a special way. That is, he became vice president via the backup plans in the Twelfth Amendment. Thus, a quotation from the relevant part of the amendment might be in order here:

“The person having the greatest number of votes as Vice-President, shall be the Vice-President, if such numbers be a majority of the whole number of electors appointed, and if no person have a majority, then from the two highest numbers on the list, the Senate shall choose the Vice-President; a quorum for the purpose shall consist of two-thirds of the whole number of Senators, and a majority of the whole number shall be necessary to a choice.” (Source: Twelfth Amendment to the United States Constitution [ratified 1804], Section 2)

If you liked this post, you might also like:

A review of “Founding Brothers” (History Channel)

James Madison: The most underrated Founder

John Quincy Adams: A great statesman in his own right

A review of PBS’s “Andrew Jackson: Good, Evil, and the Presidency”

James K. Polk: President during the Mexican-American War

Why is Zachary Taylor now considered a “forgettable” president?

Part of a series about

The Presidents

1. George Washington
2. John Adams
3. Thomas Jefferson
4. James Madison
6. John Quincy Adams
7. Andrew Jackson

8. Martin Van Buren

11. James K. Polk