Fast Fact: Martin Van Buren was the first Chief Executive born under the United States flag. Biography: Only about 5 feet, 6 inches tall, but trim and erect, Martin Van Buren dressed fastidiously. His impeccable appearance belied his amiability--and his humble background. Of Dutch descent, he was born in 1782, the son of a tavernkeeper and farmer, in Kinderhook, New York. As a young lawyer he became involved in New York politics. As leader of the "Albany Regency," …showed first 75 words of 593 total…

…showed last 75 words of 593 total…off expenditures so completely that the Government even sold the tools it had used on public works. Inclined more and more to oppose the expansion of slavery, Van Buren blocked the annexation of Texas because it assuredly would add to slave territory--and it might bring war with Mexico. Defeated by the Whigs in 1840 for reelection, he was an unsuccessful candidate for President on the Free Soil ticket in 1848. He died in 1862. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ **Bibliography** my weiner