New Martin Van Buren $1 Coin Debuts on November 13, 2008
The newest Presidential $1 Coin honoring Martin Van Buren will be available to the public on Thursday, November 13, 2008. Born in 1767 in Kinderhook, New York, Martin Van Buren was the eighth President of the United States (1837-1841).
The son of a farmer and tavern keeper, Van Buren became involved in New York politics and in 1821 was elected to the United States Senate. By 1827, he had emerged as the principal northern leader for Andrew Jackson. President Jackson rewarded Van Buren by appointing him Secretary of State, and viewed him as his most trusted advisor. In 1832, Van Buren was elected Vice President on the Jacksonian ticket, and in 1836 he won the Presidency.
Interestingly, Martin Van Buren was:
- The first president to be born an American citizen (his predecessors were born before the revolution.)
- The only president who did not speak English as a first language (he grew up speaking Dutch.)
- The third president to serve only one term, after John Adams and his son, John Quincy Adams.
- One of only two people to serve as Secretary of State, Vice-President, and President (the other was Thomas Jefferson.)
- A key organizer of the Democratic Party and a dominant figure in the Second Party System.
- Defeated for reelection by William Henry Harrison and the Whigs in 1840, Van Buren ran unsuccessfully for President on the Free Soil ticket in 1848. He died in 1862 at his Lindenwald estate in Kinderhook.
