U.S. President Martin Van Buren
U.S. Pres. Martin Van Buren, oil on canvas by George Peter Alexander Healy, 1857; in the National Portrait Gallery, Washington, D.C.
Martin Van Buren
8th president of the United States
Martin Van Buren (born December 5, 1782, Kinderhook, New York, U.S.—died July 24, 1862, Kinderhook) was the eighth president of the United States (1837–41) and one of the founders of the Democratic Party. He was known as the “Little Magician” to his friends (and the “Sly Fox” to his enemies) in recognition of his reputed cunning and skill as a politician. Van Buren was the third of five children born to Abraham Van Buren, a...