Martin Van Buren

Martin Van Buren was born on December 5, 1782.

In 1799, Martin Van Buren opened a successful law office in Kinderhook with his half-brother James Van Allen, where he practiced law for 25 years and achieved financial independence.

Martin Van Buren served as counsel to the Hudson Valley tenant farmers, known as the anti-rent agitators, who contested landlords’ colonial-era claims to the land they farmed.

Martin Van Buren was admitted to the bar in 1803 after completing his legal studies in the law office of Francis Sylvester in Kinderhook and later with William P. Van Ness in New York City.

Martin Van Buren acted as counsel to John V. N. Yates in the landmark case before the Court of Errors, Yates v. Lansing.

Martin Van Buren was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1821.

In 1822, Martin Van Buren began his political career in the U.S. Senate, where he gained valuable experience and established himself as a prominent figure in American politics.

In 1827, Martin Van Buren emerged as the principal northern leader for Andrew Jackson, gaining prominence in the political arena.

In 1828, Martin Van Buren resigned his Senate seat and successfully ran for governor of New York. However, he gave up the governorship within 12 weeks to become President Andrew Jackson’s secretary of state.

Martin Van Buren was appointed as Secretary of State by President Andrew Jackson on March 6, 1829.

Martin Van Buren assumed the role of Secretary of State on March 28, 1829, serving until March 23, 1831. He was known for his cautious approach to foreign affairs.

Martin Van Buren's term as Secretary of State ended on March 23, 1831.

In January of 1832, the Senate rejected Van Buren's nomination for the U.S. Minister to Great Britain, cutting short his progress in expanding the U.S. consular presence in British manufacturing centers.

The Democratic National Convention held in Baltimore chooses Martin Van Buren as the presidential nominee.

Martin Van Buren secures victory in the presidential election, winning 57.8% of the Electoral College and 50.8% of the popular vote.

In the 1836 general election, Martin Van Buren won the United States presidency, defeating William H. Harrison, Hugh L. White, Daniel Webster, and W.P. Mangum.

Martin Van Buren became the eighth president of the United States, serving from 1837 to 1841. He was known for his cunning and skill as a politician, and was one of the founders of the Democratic Party.

Martin Van Buren opposed the annexation of Texas.

Martin Van Buren rejects the Republic of Texas’ proposal to annex Texas due to his fear that it would lead to Mexican retaliation and add controversy by expanding slave territory.

In a Special Message opening a special session of Congress, Martin Van Buren urges Congress to address the financial crisis, proposing actions such as the suspension of specie payments.

In response to the economic crisis, Martin Van Buren summons a special session of Congress. Despite his support for laissez-faire, he expresses concern about the government's financial situation and proposes a bank divorce policy and the establishment of an independent treasury.

The British-backed Canadian militia seized and set afire the American steamship, The Caroline, which was providing supplies to Canadian rebels on Navy Island. The ship was then set adrift to float over the Niagara Falls, resulting in the death of at least one American. This event will later become significant in international law as an example of 'anticipatory self-defense' by the British.

The British ordered the Canadian militia to seize the American steamship Caroline, resulting in the death of one American and several wounded. This incident was a part of the conflict involving Canadian rebels and had significant implications for the relations between Britain and the United States.

On December 3, 1838, Martin Van Buren addressed Congress in the State of the Union, outlining the state of affairs and the administration's objectives for the upcoming year.

President Van Buren delivered a special message to Congress on February 26, 1839, proposing a program of action to defuse the crisis related to the occupation of the Aroostook. He both praised and criticized Governor Fairfield's actions, expressing support for Maine while also calling for the discontinuation of Fairfield's occupation.

President Van Buren addresses Congress about the Aroostook conflict, a dispute between the United States and Great Britain over the state of Maine. He emphasizes the need for a peaceful resolution to avoid potential seasonal conflict.

President Van Buren vetoes a joint resolution due to improper certification by the clerk of the House in which it originated. The veto does not address the substance of the resolution. This is the only veto of Van Buren’s Presidency.

Governor John Fairfield of Maine agreed to terms that ended the so-called Aroostook War, a border dispute between Maine and the British Canadian province of New Brunswick. The crisis was defused by President Martin Van Buren, leading to the final settlement of the boundary question in 1842.

Van Buren secures an agreement with England on compensation for two slave ships, the Comet and the Encomium, which had run ashore on the British territory of the Bahamas.

A U.S. ship captured the Amistad off the coast of Long Island, NY with enslaved Africans onboard, leading to a jurisdictional dispute and legal proceedings.

President Van Buren praises the Treasury's handling of the Panic of 1837 and advises against the federal government accumulating debt. He also calls for a law to criminalize public officials using public funds for personal purposes.

The U.S.S. Washington seizes the Amistad, a mutinous slave ship, and brings the captives to a jail in New Haven, Connecticut. The incident prompts the Van Buren administration to argue for the return of the Amistad and its occupants to Havana.

Martin Van Buren resubmitted a treaty to Congress concerning the removal of New York Indians.

The Independent Treasury Act is enacted, establishing a system of maintaining the government's funds separate from the banking system. This act was a significant financial policy during the Van Buren administration.

The Amistad hearings commence in a Hartford, Connecticut, courtroom. The court will discover fraudulent identification of the slaves as Spanish-speaking Ladinos in the clearance papers of the Amistad. Despite treaty obligations being deemed irrelevant, compensation for the ship is awarded, and the slaves will be returned to Africa in January 1842.

In the presidential election, Harrison defeats Van Buren.

On December 5, 1840, Martin Van Buren delivered the State of the Union address to Congress, discussing the present state of affairs and the administration's goals for the coming year.

In 1842, a treaty was signed between the United States and Canada, bringing an end to the Aroostook War. The conflict arose from a border dispute between lumberjacks in Maine and New Brunswick over the ownership of trees in the Aroostook Valley, stemming from an unclear boundary determination in the 1783 Treaty of Paris.

Martin Van Buren, as the 8th President of the United States, opposed the annexation of Texas due to concerns about the expansion of slavery and its impact on the balance of power in the Union.

In 1848, Martin Van Buren, running for the Free Soil Party, was defeated by Zachary Taylor in the general election for the United States presidency.

Martin Van Buren passed away in Kinderhook on July 24, 1862.