Martin Van Buren was the eighth president of the United States. His shrewd dealings laid the foundations for the Democratic Party and the modern political machine.

• Martin Van Buren was an American statesman who served as the eighth president of the United States from 1837 to 1841. He was the first president born after the independence of the United States from the British Empire.
• Born: December 5, 1782, Kinderhook, NY
• Died: July 24, 1862, Kinderhook
• Nickname: Little Magician
• Presidential term: March 4, 1837 – March 4, 1841
• Vice president: Richard Mentor Johnson (1837–1841)
• Children: John Van Buren, Abraham Van Buren, Smith Thompson Van Buren, Martin Van Buren, Jr., Lawrence Martinse Van Buren
• First president born a citizen of the United States, rather than a British subject.
• First president born in New York state.
• First president born after the Declaration of Independence.
• First president to be a non-native speaker of English.
• First president to be of the Dutch Reformed faith.
• First president to outlive four of his successors.
• First president to have served as a state attorney general, having served as attorney general of New York from 1815 to 1819.