<P> 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 . After resigning from his position in order to help resolve the Petticoat affair, Van Buren briefly served as the American ambassador to Britain . At Jackson's behest, the 1832 Democratic National Convention nominated Van Buren for vice president, and Van Buren took office after the Democratic ticket won the 1832 presidential election . With Jackson's strong support, Van Buren faced little opposition for the presidential nomination at the 1835 Democratic National Convention, and he defeated several Whig opponents in the 1836 presidential election . Van Buren's response to the Panic of 1837 centered on his Independent Treasury system, a plan under which the federal government would store its funds in vaults rather than in banks . He also continued Jackson's policy of Indian removal . In foreign affairs, he maintained peaceful relations with Britain and, seeking to avoid heightened sectional tensions, denied the application of Texas for admission to the Union . In the 1840 election, the Whigs rallied around Harrison's military record and ridiculed Van Buren as "Martin Van Ruin," and a surge of new voters helped turn Van Buren out of office . </P> <P> Van Buren was the leading candidate for the Democratic nomination in 1844, but his continued opposition to the annexation of Texas aroused the opposition of Southern Democrats and the party nominated James K. Polk. Van Buren grew increasingly opposed to slavery after he left office, and, motivated additionally by intra-party differences at the state and national level, he agreed to lead a third party ticket in the 1848 presidential election . Though he finished in a distant third nationally, Van Buren's presence in the race may have helped Whig nominee Zachary Taylor defeat Democrat Lewis Cass. Van Buren returned to the Democratic fold after the 1848 election, but he supported Abraham Lincoln's policies during the American Civil War . Van Buren's health began to fail in 1861, and he died in July 1862 at age 79 . He has been generally ranked as a below - average U.S. President by historians and political scientists . </P> <P> Martin Van Buren was born on December 5, 1782, in the village of Kinderhook, New York about 20 miles (32 km) south of Albany on the Hudson River . He was the first president not born a British subject, nor of British ancestry . His father, Abraham Van Buren, was a descendant of Cornelis Maessen of the village of Buurmalsen, Netherlands, who had come to North America in 1631 and purchased a plot of land on Manhattan Island . Abraham Van Buren had been a Patriot during the American Revolution, and he later joined the Democratic - Republican Party . Abraham owned and operated an inn and tavern in Kinderhook and served as Kinderhook's town clerk for several years . In 1776, Abraham married Maria Hoes (or Goes) Van Alen, the widow of Johannes Van Alen . Like Abraham Van Buren, Maria was of Dutch extraction . With Van Alen, Maria had had three children, including future Congressman James I. Van Alen . After their marriage, Abraham and Maria produced five children, including Martin . Unlike every other president before or since, Van Buren spoke English as a second language, and his primary language in his youth was Dutch . </P> <P> Van Buren received a basic education at the village schoolhouse and briefly studied Latin at the Kinderhook Academy and at Washington Seminary in Claverack . His formal education ended in 1796, when he began reading law at the office of Peter Silvester and his son Francis, prominent Federalist attorneys in Kinderhook . Van Buren learned early to interact with people from varied ethnic, income, and societal groups, which he would later use to his advantage as a political organizer . Van Buren was small in stature; as an adult he was 5 feet 6 inches tall, and was often referred to as "Little Van ." When he first began his legal studies, he often presented an unkempt appearance in rough, homespun clothing . The Silvesters admonished Van Buren about how crucial a lawyer's clothing and personal appearance were to the success of his practice . He accepted their advice and patterned his clothing, appearance, bearing and conduct after theirs . </P>

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