Fun Fact 3: He is the only president that descends from Dutch ancestry and at home Martin Van Buren and his wife spoke only spoke in Dutch dialect
Fun Fact 4: Martin Van Buren was inaugurated as the 8th president of America when he was 54 years old, he served for 4 years until 1841
Fun Fact 5: His presidency struggled against economic depression, eventually it led to bank failures and food riots known as the "Panic of 1837"
Fun Fact 6: Martin Van Buren married Hannah Hoes they came from the small Dutch community Village of Kinderhook, which led to his nickname of "Old Kinderhook"
Fun Fact 7: The word "okay" originates from Martin Van Buren's nickname "Old Kinderhook". People would ask "Is it OK?" with reference to his nickname initials!
Fun Fact 8: Martin Van Buren and his wife had four children and two pet tiger cubs!
Fun Fact 9: During his presidency over 15,000 native Indians were forced to leave their territory, this mass convoy was called the “Trail of Tears”; it was a catastrophic time for the native Indians and resulted in over 4,000 deaths
Fun Fact 10: Martin Van Buren was given the nickname of "The Little Magician" this was partly due to his height, he was only 5ft 6", but also his for his 'magical' ability to succeed in political debates
Fun Fact 11: He was not very popular with the public and was noted for his feminine dress sense and expensive taste, including costly carriages and requesting golden spoons in the white house!
Fun Fact 12: Martin Van Buren strongly opposed annexation of Texas and his opinions cost him being re-elected in the 1844 election
Fun Fact 13: Martin Van Buren made three unsuccessful bids for re-election
Fun Fact 14: During his lifetime he lived to see eight different Presidents from eight different states succeed him
Fun Fact 15: He died on July 24, 1862 in Kinderhook, New York. He was 79 years of age |
