Martin Van Buren:8th President of the United States, 1837-1841
Van Buren served during the nation's first great depression, the Panic of 1837, which brought financial ruin and misery to millions. Many turned to the government for help, but Van Buren refused all public aid. He believed in Thomas Jefferson's theories that government should play the smallest possible role in American life. "The less government interferes," Van Buren explained, "the better for general prosperity." Due in large part to his refusal to compromise this principal, he was defeated for re-election in 1840 by William Henry Harrison, whom he had beaten in 1836. Van Buren ran again for President in 1848, but finished a poor third.
| Election of 1836 | ||
| Candidate Martin
Van Buren |
Popular
Vote 765,483 |
Electoral
Vote 170 |
| Van Buren's Vice-President and Cabinet | |
| Vice-President | Richard M. Johnson |
| Secretary of State | John Forsyth |
| Secretary of the Treasury | Levi Woodbury |
| Secretary of War | Joel R. Poinsett |
| Attorney General | Benjamin F. Butler Felix Grundy Henry D. Gilpin |
| Postmaster General | Amos Kendall John M. Niles |
| Secretary of the Navy | Mahlan Dickerson James Paulding |
| United States Events During His Administration | |
| May 10, 1837 | The first great depression in America began. |
| 1839 | A boundary dispute between Maine and Canada was resolved peacefully. |
| 1839 | Charles Goodyear discovered how to vulcanize rubber. |
| 1839 | The first photograph made in the United States was taken by Samuel F.B. Morse. |
| 1839 | The first normal school organized in the United States opened in Massachusetts. |
| World Events During His Administration | |
| 1837 | Queen Victoria succeeded to the British throne. |
| 1837-1838 | Rebellions broke out in Upper and Lower Canada. |
| 1840 | Britain issued the world's first postage stamp. |
| 1840 | Act of Union joined Upper and Lower Canada. |
William Henry Harrison
Charles Goodyear
Queen Victoria