Martin Van Buren was the first President of the United States who was an American citizen by birth. Also known as The Careful Dutchman, The Red Fox of Kinderhook, The Enchanter, Martin Van Ruin, Little Matt and the Mistletoe Politician, Martin Van Buren was a successful lawyer and one of the most brilliant politicians of all time.
Son of a farmer, Abraham Van Buren who supported the American Revolution, Martin went on to become a smart politician. A man whose first language was Dutch and who also studied Latin ended up becoming the eighth president.
1. Martin joined politics in his teens and by thirty he was in the New York State Senate. Three years later, he became the attorney general and then he won a second term as a senator. In 1821, just nine years after entering the state senate, he became a United States Senator. He would then come under the influence of Andrew Jackson, John Calhoun and William Crawford with whom he developed an alternate party, which was then referred to as Democratic Republican before becoming the Democratic Party.
2. Martin Van Buren became the government of the state of New York and just a year later he was appointed as the Secretary of State by President Andrew Jackson. When President Andrew Jackson was running for a second term, Martin was picked as the running mate and the duo demolished the chances of the opposition. After Andrew Jackson completed his second term, Martin Van Buren was unanimously nominated by the Democrats and he won easily.
3. There are many Martin Van Buren major accomplishments but a critical one was his management of the economy when the country was staring at a recession. It was the first great depression. He put forth suggestions that the federal funds must be parked in a treasure that is independent of government functioning or regional and federal bureaucracy.
4. Martin Van Buren adhered to the policies initiated and executed by Andrew Jackson. He instilled a sense of continuity which was what many wanted after voting for the party repeatedly. The policy or at least the suggestion of decentralizing banks had proven to be very effective, although Martin Van Buren did not have the presidency when things actually shaped up. It is quite interesting that those who rejected those ideas then made him the scapegoat for the recession whereas it was those very suggestions that changed the economic landscape later.