Martin Van Buren
Born: December 5, 1782
Died: July 24, 1862
Term in Office: 1837-1841
"Only about 5 feet, 6 inches tall, but trim and erect..." begins the www.whitehouse.gov article on, no... not Tom Cruise, but Martin Van Buren. His one term as president came after serving as Jackson's vice-president, and he inherited an economy that was ripe for a bust, due largely to some of Jackson's financial policies. Three months into Van Buren's term the country went into its worst economic depression to that time.
The depression seems to be the highlight (or low point) of this guy's presidency, but there were a few other bits of interesting info on him...
He was the first president to be born a U.S. citizen. All his predecessors were born before the United States came into being.
His record on slavery is a little murky. While it is known that his father Abraham owned six slaves, it's unclear how many Martin owned. A letter to him dated 1824 is from a gent asking to buy a man, indicating that he had at least one slave in his household. He opposed the annexation of Texas during his presidency, knowing that it would come in as a slave state, a stand that cost him popularity. But on the other hand, he firmly opposed the abolition of slavery, and said so in his campaign and in his inaugural speech.
Looking at that cartoon above, I must have been thinking of Christopher Lloyd's Doc Brown character. Or some other movie character. But not Martin Van Buren. Doesn't really look like him. (sigh).
But, hey! Only two more of these rogues for whom to write profiles. The end of this presidential project is in sight.
Peace to all, and watch that posture.
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