<Tr> <Th> Signature </Th> <Td> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> Nickname (s) </Th> <Td> Old Kinderhook, The Little Magician </Td> </Tr> <P> Martin Van Buren (born Maarten van Buren; December 5, 1782--July 24, 1862) was an American statesman who served as the eighth President of the United States from 1837 to 1841 . A founder of the Democratic Party, he held a number of senior positions in the U.S. Federal Government, including eighth Vice President (1833--1837) and tenth Secretary of State (1829--1831), both under Andrew Jackson . Van Buren won the presidency by promising to continue Jackson's policies . The Panic of 1837 which struck the nation combined with the growing political strength of the opposition Whig Party led to his defeat when he ran for reelection . During his half - century of public service, he built and perfected a new system of political parties at first the state and then the federal level; at the end of his life, he was seen as a major figure of the abolitionist movement defending Abraham Lincoln's policies during the American Civil War . Van Buren was the first President of the United States to be born a United States citizen . Of Dutch descent, he is the only U.S. President who spoke English as a second language . </P> <P> A delegate to a political convention at age 18, he quickly moved from local to state politics, gaining fame both as a political organizer and an accomplished lawyer . Elected to the U.S. Senate by the New York State Legislature in 1821, he reorganized the Democratic - Republican Party in New York and established the Albany Regency to keep it in power . Van Buren supported William H. Crawford for President in the 1824 election . John Quincy Adams was then made president in a contingent election . The supporters of Jackson, who had won a plurality of the popular and electoral vote, coalesced around Jackson to create the new Democratic Party . Van Buren, alarmed by the nationalist policies of the Adams administration, soon joined them . Van Buren was a major supporter and organizer for Jackson in the 1828 election, and ran for Governor of New York in the hope of using his personal popularity to boost Jackson's campaign . Jackson and Van Buren were elected, and after serving as governor for two months, Van Buren resigned to become Jackson's Secretary of State . During Jackson's eight years as President, Van Buren was a key advisor, and built the organizational structure for the coalescing Democratic Party, particularly in New York . He resigned as Secretary of State in 1831 to help resolve the Petticoat affair . Jackson gave Van Buren a recess appointment as American Minister to Britain . Van Buren's nomination was rejected by the Senate, cutting short his service in London, but he was elected Vice President in the 1832 election . </P>

Who was the first president defeated for reelection