Origin of Name :-
The Van Buren pearls consisting of two drop-shaped
oriental pendant pearls each weighing about 30 grains and a necklace
made up of 148 oriental pearls, with a total weight of 700 grains, get
their name from the 8th president of the United States, Martin van
Buren, ,whose term of office extended from 1837 to 1841. The pearls in
the form of a loose collection of oriental pearls from the Persian Gulf,
contained in a gift box, was actually part of an impressive array of
exquisite gifts given to President Martin van Buren in 1840, by the
Sultan of Muscat, Sayyed Sa'id bin Sultan, following the signing of the
1833 Treaty of Friendship and Commerce, between the United States and
the Sultanate of Oman. This was a period when colonization of Asia,
Africa and Latin America by western powers was at its peak, and the
British Empire was holding sway over large areas spread out across the
world, popularly referred to as the "Empire where the sun never
sets." However, in the case of the Sultanate of Oman, save for a 140-year period, from
1508 t0 1648, when the country was colonized by the Portuguese, with the
help of their fire power, the country had fiercely remained independent,
and had the strength and the resources, including the maritime power, to
colonize parts of east Africa, such as Zanzibar, Mozambique and
Mombassa, ousting the Portuguese in the process, and creating the Omani
Empire. In fact Sayyed Sa'id bin Sultan made Zanzibar, the capital of
his empire in 1837, where he built impressive palaces and gardens. Thus
the signing of a treaty of Friendship and Commerce with the United
States in 1833, was a very intelligent diplomatic move by Sayyed Sa'id
bin Sultan, in the context of the volatile power play of colonial
politics in the Indian Ocean region at that time. Incidentally, this
treaty was one of the first treaties signed by the United States, with a
country in the Middle East, since the declaration of independence from
the kingdom of Great Britain, on July 4, 1776.
Characteristics of
the Van Buren pearls
The number and weight
of the pearls
Apart from the number of pearls and their weight as
given by Kunz, the foremost authority on Pearls in the early
20th-century, in his book "The Book Of The Pearl," on page 464, under
the chapter "Famous Pearl Collections," all other characteristics of the
pearl, such as the size, shape, color, luster, orient, surface quality etc. are
not known. According to Kunz, the Van Buren pearl collection in the
United States National Museum (Smithsonian Museum), consisted of two
pendant pearls each weighing about 30 grains, and a necklace containing
148 pearls with an aggregate weight of 700 grains. The pearls were
actually presented as a collection of loose pearls in a gift box, by the
Sultan of Oman, and later fashioned into a necklace and pendants,
probably in New York, and worn by the President's daughter-in-law
Angelica van Buren, who acted as the first lady or the presidential
hostess in the White House, as President van Buren was a widower, whose
wife died in 1819 of consumption, and did not get married thereafter.
The approximate size
of the pearls
Given that 148 pearls in the necklace had a total
weight of 700 grains, the average weight of each pearl in the necklace
is approximately 4.7 grains. For cultured Akoya pearls based on data
provided by Shima Pearl Co. a weight of 4.7 grains is approximately
equal to a diameter of 5.0 to 5.5 mm. For natural pearls which do not
carry a mother-of-pearl nucleus within, the size will be slightly higher
than this. Thus, we can safely assume that the Van Buren pearls are
medium sized pearls with a diameter of approximately 5.0 to 6.0 mm.
The pearls can be
characterized as oriental pearls
Since the pearls were a gift from the Sultan of Oman,
a country situated at the entrance to the Persian Gulf, we can safely
assume that the pearls originated in the pearl banks of the Persian
Gulf. Thus the pearls can be characterized as "oriental pearls" a term
traditionally used for pearls originating in the Persian Gulf, the Red
Sea and the Gulf of Mannar, the hub of the international pearl
trade since ancient times.
Van Buren pearls
originated in the pearl oyster Pinctada radiata
Thus the Van Buren pearls undoubtedly originated in
the pearl oyster species Pinctada radiata, the predominant species of
pearl oyster found in the Persian Gulf, the Red Sea and the Gulf of
Mannar. Pinctada radiata which grows to a maximum size of about 7 to 8
cm, has a pale yellow shell with several brown radial bands, and a
pinkish or reddish lip. The oyster has maximum life span of about 7 to 8
years. The color of the nacre is usually white, but other colors such as
cream, yellow, pink, brown, violet etc. also sometimes occur.
Accordingly the pearls produced by Pinctada radiata are usually white,
but other colors such as cream. yellow, pink etc. are also rarely
produced.
The Van Buren pearls
are white, spherical or near-spherical pearls ?
White color has been the most favored and sought after color in
saltwater pearls, since ancient times and usually fetched a much higher
price than other colors. Like wise the round or spherical and
near-spherical shape, were
the most favored shapes for pearls. The Van Buren pearls being a gift
from the ruler of an empire, the Omani Empire, to the President of the
United States of America, undoubtedly has to be of the highest quality
and value, fit enough to be given as a gift to the President of a
country. Thus the pearls had to be nothing but the best in terms of
quality and value. Hence, it may not be far from the truth if one
describes the Van Buren pearls as white, spherical or near-spherical
pearls. The same could be said of the other characteristics of the
pearls, such as the luster, orient, and surface quality of the pearls.
History of the Van
Buren Pearls
Reasons that led to
the signing of the friendship treaty between the United States and the
Sultanate of Oman
The political circumstances that led to the signing
of the "Treaty of Amity and Commerce" between the United States and the
Sultanate of Oman in 1833, was considered earlier. Perhaps other reasons
that might have led the United States to sign this treaty were :- 1)
Having come out of the yoke of British imperialism in 1776, only around
50-60 years ago, the U.S. was genuinely interested in preventing
independent nations like Oman, being trapped under the same yoke. 2) A
genuine desire on the part of the United States to make friends with
independent nations, and thereby expand their sphere of influence. The
Sultanate of Oman was perhaps the first country in Asia and the Middle
East, with which the United States signed a friendship treaty.
Sayyed Sa'id bin Sultan, Imam and Sultan of Oman,
Muscat and Zanzibar
The Sultan of Oman
sends a ship laden with valuable gifts to President Martin van Buren in
1840
After the signing of the friendship treaty in 1833,
the Sultan of Oman, who now had his palace and headquarters in Zanzibar,
the new capital of his empire, decided to sent one of his ships laden
with valuable gifts, to President Van Buren, the incumbent president of
the United States, in 1840, in order to further consolidate the
friendship between the two countries. An Omani vessel called "Sultanah"
carrying an impressive collection of exquisite gifts for President
Martin Van Buren from the Sultan of Oman, Sayyed Sa'id bin Sultan,
accompanied by the Sultan's special envoy Ahmad bin Na'aman, set sail
from Zanzibar to New York in 1840. After a journey of several weeks
round the Cape and across the Atlantic, the ship
sailed into the New York harbor. Among the gift items carried by the
ship, included Arabian horses, a box of oriental pearls, ivory,
skins of wild animals, gold-mounted sword, Arabian dates, attar
(perfume) of roses, five demijohns of rosewater, a package of Cashmere
shawls, a bale of Persian rugs etc.
The gifts were
accepted by President Martin van Buren in his official capacity as the
President of the United States
The gifts caused great excitement among the New
Yorkers who saw them, and sparked a protracted debate in the Congress
about whether they could be accepted by the President. Eventually, the
gifts were accepted by President Van Buren in his official capacity as
the President of the United States of America, and not in his personal
capacity. The Arabian stud horses were sold at a public auction, and the
money credited to the treasury. Other gifts that could be preserved were
sent to the vaults of the U.S. treasury, as at that time the Smithsonian
National Museums were not yet founded. The Smithsonian Institution was
established on August 10, 1846, during the presidency of James K. Polk,
and the gifts subsequently entered the museums of the institution where
they reside today.
The Van Buren pearls
were fashioned into a necklace and a pair of pearl pendants for the
first lady Angelica van Buren
It appears that a New York jeweler was commissioned
to string the pearls together to form a suitable necklace and a pair of
pendant pearls, for the first lady Angelica van Buren, the President's
daughter-in-law, but the pearls still remained the property of the
United States Government. It is not known whether the three-strand pearl
necklace with a single pendant pearl hanging from it, and another pearl
pendant hanging from a head band and lying at the center of the
forehead, as seen in the portrait of the first lady Angelica van Buren,
hanging in the Red Room of the White House, were actually the Van Buren
pearl necklace and pendant pearls, the subject of this webpage. Readers
who may have information on this are requested to share the benefit of
such information, by posting a comment in our forums at
forums.internetstones.com. In the portrait, Angelica van Buren stands
against a bust of President Martin van Buren in the background.
First Lady Angelica Van Buren- Is she wearing the Van
Buren Pearl Necklace and pendant pearls?
Angelica van Buren
returns the pearl necklace and the pair of pearl pendants to the U.S.
Treasury Department, from where they were transferred to the National
Museum of the Smithsonian Institution
When President Martin van Buren left the White House
in 1941, following his defeat at the presidential elections of 1840, by
William Henry Harrison, Angelica van Buren returned the pearl necklace
and the pair of pearl pendants to the vaults of the treasury department,
where they remained, until they were transferred to the custody of the
National Museum of the Smithsonian Institution, at the turn of the
20th-century.
Today the Van Buren
pearl necklace and pendants are part of the historic First Lady's
collection of the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History
Today, the Van Buren pearl necklace and the pair of
pearl pendants are part of the most popular and fascinating permanent
exhibit, The First Ladies Collection, which is located on the second
floor of the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History. The
collection contains apart from first lady's inaugural gowns, other
materials and objects once owned by the first ladies of the United
States, such as jewelry, chinaware, White House furnishings, photographs
and portraits, and campaign and personal memorabilia. The collection was
started in 1912. Thus, the Van Buren pearl necklace and pendants must
have entered this collection, after being re-located from elsewhere in
the museum. Even though the Van Buren pearl necklace and pendants are
part of the the First Ladies Collection, it does not mean that they will
be on permanent display with the other items in the collection. Out of
the thousands of items in the collection, only a select few representing
a cross section of the collection are put out on display for short
periods of time, on a rotational basis.
The History of the
First Ladies Collection
The collection was
started in 1912, when Helen Taft wife of President William Howard Taft
donated her 1909 inaugural gown
The Smithsonian First Ladies Collection began in
1912, when Helen Taft, the wife of the 27th President of the United
States, William Howard Taft (1909-1913) donated her white-silk chiffon
inaugural gown from her husband's 1909 inauguration, to the Smithsonian
Institution. The gown was appliquéd with floral embroideries in metallic
thread and trimmed with rhinestones and beads. This was the first ever
inaugural gown to be presented by a first lady to the National Museum.
The authorities of the museum understood the historical significance of
this unique gesture by a first lady, and immediately set about laying
the foundation for building up of a First Ladies Collection,
incorporating the inaugural gowns, and other personal effects of the
first ladies while in office.
First ladies of
all presidential administrations are represented either by the inaugural
gown or by some other article of clothing
The Smithsonian Institution had requested the first
ladies to donate something to represent them in the collection, but it
had become the tradition of most of the first ladies to follow the
worthy example set by Helen Taft in 1912. However not all the gowns in
the collection are inaugural ball gowns. Sometimes other articles of
clothing that belonged to the first ladies have been included. Almost
all presidential administrations are represented in the collection, if
not by the inaugural gown, by some other article of clothing used by the
first lady. Not all first ladies were wives of
presidents. There have been instances where the president's wife had
died or had been unable to serve as first lady, in which case, he
usually chose a family member to act as his hostess. First Lady Angelica
van Buren, the daughter-in-law of President Martin van Buren is an
example, when she served as hostess in the White House, as her
father-in-law was a widower. The oldest gown in the collection, is not
an inaugural gown and belonged to Martha Washington, wife of the first
president of the United States, George Washington (1789-97). The oldest
inaugural gown in the collection belonged to the niece of President
Andrew Jackson (1829-1837), Emily Donelson, who acted as hostess in the
White House and wore the gown for his 1829 inaugural ball. Thus it
appears that most of the articles of clothing prior to the inception of
the collection in 1912, were not inaugural gowns, but some other article
of clothing worn by the first ladies. One can no doubt appreciate the
difficulties that would have been encountered in collecting gowns and
personal effects of first ladies of the previous 123 years, before the
collection was inaugurated in 1912.
Only a select few
of the items in the collection, representing a cross section are
displayed in rotation for a given period of time
The First Ladies Collection is now nearly a century
old, and has accumulated a vast array of personal effects that was once
owned and used by the first ladies of the United States, ranging from
Martha Washington to Michelle Obama, that include inaugural gowns,
evening gowns and other articles of clothing, jewelry, shoes and other
personal effects, Chinaware used in the White House, furnishings,
photographs and portraits, and campaign and personal memorabilia.
However all the items in the collection are not on display. Most of the
items are in storage under optimal conditions in order to preserve them
for posterity. Displaying items such as gowns for long periods can be
harmful, due to the effects of light, gravity and climate, and some
gowns have been badly damaged as a result. Thus only a select few of the
items are put out on display for short periods of time, on an on-off
rotatory basis, in order maintain the items in good condition.
National Museum of American History- Washington D.C.
Photo Above-
Creative Commons
The upgraded
display known as "First Ladies at the Smithsonian" was reopened on
December 19, 2008
The first time the First Ladies Collection was put
out on display was in 1914, when the collection was exhibited at the
Smithsonian's Arts and Industries Building. In the period 1992 to 2006,
the display of the First Ladies Collection was christened "First Ladies
: Political Role and Public Image." The exhibition was then closed for a
two-year period of renovation of the museum, and the upgraded exhibition
with new artifacts and several restored, never before seen inaugural
gowns, and a new title, "First Ladies at the Smithsonian" was reopened
on December 19, 2008. The permanent exhibit is contained in single
gallery located on the second floor of the National Museum of American
History, on Washington D.C.'s National Mall.
The exhibition is
reorganized under three sections - The first section is known as "The
evolution of the First Ladies Collection
The re-organized exhibition is divided into three
main sections : 1) The evolution of the First Ladies Collection, 2) The
tradition of the inaugural gown and 3) A first lady's contribution to
the presidency and American society. The first section, "The evolution
of the First Ladies Collection," traces the evolution of the collection
from the establishment in 1912 of the "Collection of Period Costumes"
the first collection focused on women, that subsequently became the
foundation of the First Ladies Collection; the display of the collection
starting in 1914 at the Smithsonian's Arts and Industries Building; the
display becoming one of the most popular permanent exhibits of the
National Museum of American History, portrayed under different names,
and exhibited under the title "First Ladies : Political Role and Public
Image" from 1992 to 2006. A 50 feet long display case containing gowns
and personal effects will introduce visitors to a broad cross section of
the collection.
The second section
- The tradition of the inaugural gown
The second section, known as "The tradition of the
inaugural gown" traces the origin of the collection of inaugural gowns
by the Smithsonian, starting from the 1912 presentation of Helen Taft's
1909 white-silk chiffon inaugural gown, exhibited in a special display
case. 13 other dresses representing a cross section of first ladies from
Martha Washington to Laura Bush are also exhibited in this section,
inside a 50 feet long display case and includes a flapper style
evening dress that belonged to Grace Coolidge (1923-29), pink-rayon
crepe gown worn by Eleanor Roosevelt for the 1945 inaugural reception,
and a yellow-silk gown worn by Jackie Kennedy to the Kennedy
administration's first state dinner in 1961. Apart from dresses other
personal effects such as shoes, hats, handbags, purses, feather-fans
etc. are also displayed. One of the most interesting category of
artifacts displayed is the White House chinaware, consisting of several
services designed by some first ladies to commemorate various American
themes and anniversaries.
The third section
- A first lady's contribution to the presidency and American society
The third section, examines a first lady's
contribution to the presidency and American society. This sectio,n
highlights some of the contributions made by first ladies, as
campaigners, hostesses, public policy advocates, and the public faces
for the presidential administrations. Eleanor Roosevelt is one of the
most prominent examples of the first ladies' evolution from White House
hostess to advocate for social justice at home and abroad. Since then
most of the first ladies had devoted themselves to public causes and the
elimination of social ills, such as Jacqueline Kennedy for the Arts,
Betty Ford for mental health, Nancy Reagan for preventing drug abuse,
Hilary Clinton for women's rights, and Laura Bush for literacy.
Exhibited across the four walls of the Gallery are
portraits of all the first ladies, beginning with Martha Washington and
Abigail Adams, and ending with first ladies of the modern era, Hilary
Clinton, Laura Bush and Michelle Obama, with the period served as first
lady and the relationship to the president indicated below each
portrait.
Martin Van Buren - A
short biography
His birth and
early education
Martin Van Buren was born in 1782 in Kinderhook, New
York, to Abraham Van Buren, a farmer and tavern-keeper and Maria Hoes,
both of Dutch ancestry originating from early Dutch settlers who settled
along the Hudson River in the early 17th-century. Maria Hoes was
previously married and widowed with three children, at the time she
married Abraham Van Buren in 1776. He had his early education in a
single-roomed village school in Kinderhook, and later studied Latin at
the Kinderhook Academy. Young Martin had excelled in composition and
speaking while at school.
He begins his
legal studies at the age of 14, and is admitted to the bar at 21 years
of age
Abraham Van Buren had noted his child's aptitude for
learning at a very young age, and as soon as he finished schooling at
the village, in 1796 at the age of 14, apprenticed him to a lawyer from
Kinderhook by the name of Francis Sylvester, a prominent Federalist
attorney. As it was the practice those days, when college education had
not yet fully developed, seven years of study in a law office under a
practicing lawyer was required before one could be admitted to the bar.
The young boy had shown extraordinary promise in his legal studies which
he pursued with much vigor and interest. Having successfully completed
the first six years of his training under Francis Sylvester, Martin was
re-assigned for a final year of apprenticeship in the New York City
office of attorney William P. Van Ness, which too he completed
successfully, and was admitted to the bar in 1803, at the age of 21
years.
His successful
legal career spanned a period of 25 years
He first began his legal practice in his native
village of Kinderhook in 1803, where he practiced for nearly
6 years. The success and fame he achieved at Kinderhook as a lawyer, led
him to shift his practice to Hudson, the seat of his county, where he
continued to practice his profession with vigor for the next 7 years,
emerging as a leading lawyer in the Hudson courts, contending with some
of the eminent lawyers who had appeared before these courts. He pursued
his legal career for 25 years with much enthusiasm and vigor and turned
out to be one of the most successful lawyers of his period.
His marriage and
children
On February 21, 1907, Martin Van Buren married his
distant cousin Hannah Hoes, his childhood sweetheart, in Catskill, New
York. Like him she too was raised in the Dutch tradition, in a Dutch
home. The marriage that lasted 12 years produced 5 children, out of whom
four, all boys, survived into adulthood. Unfortunately, after the birth
of her last son Smith Thompson in 1817, she contracted
tuberculosis and died in 1819 at the age of 35 years. She was buried in
the Dutch Reformed Church cemetery beside her fourth child who died in
infancy. The death of his childhood sweetheart at a relatively young age
was a severe blow to Martin Van Buren, who remained unmarried for the
rest of his life. It was also a severe blow to the children - the eldest
who was 12 and the youngest only 2 years old - who felt the loss of
their mother very deeply.
Hannah Van Buren- Wife of Martin Van Buren
His early
political career
Martin Van Buren was exposed to political thoughts
and views at a very young age in his life time while eavesdropping to
live political meetings, discussions and debates, taking place in his
father's tavern, the favorite meeting place of Republican politicians,
that also entertained guests such as Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr.
His early legal training and subsequent carrier was a stepping stone to
both state and later national politics. In fact developments in his
legal career as well as his political career had been taking place side
by side during his lifetime. His first political activity was at the age
of 17, while he was still a legal apprentice, when he attended a party
convention in Troy, New York, while working to secure the Congressional
nomination for John Van Ness. With the success achieved in his legal
practice, and with sufficient funds at his disposal, especially after
his relocation to Hudson in 1809, he increased his focus in politics,
and supported Aaron Burr, and allied himself with the Clintonian faction
of the Democratic Republican Party. In 1812, he was elected to the New
York State Senate, and supported the war of 1812. He was also appointed
as member of the State Constitutional Convention, where he opposed the
grant of universal suffrage. According to his contention, while the
privilege of voting should be open to every man without any distinction,
no one should be invested with that sacred prerogative, unless he were
in some degree qualified for it by intelligence, virtue and some
property interests in the welfare of the state. The role he played in
the convention received the approval of men of all parties. He served
two terms in the New York Senate from 1812 to 1820, and in 1815 was
appointed the State Attorney General.
Portrait of Martin Van Buren- 8th President of the
United States
His entry into
national politics. His election to the United States Senate.
In 1821, he was elected a member of the United States
Senate from the New York constituency. In the Senate he rose to a
conspicuous position as an active and useful legislator. He then created
the "Albany Regency" an effective New York political organization, and
as its leader shrewdly dispensed public offices and bounty in a fashion
calculated to bring votes. Granting of political patronage for party
supporters, known as the "spoils system" was not originated by Van
Buren, but he was given the nickname "little magician" for the skill
with which he exploited it. The "Albany Regency" dominated much of the
politics of New York for more than a generation, and powerfully
influenced the politics of the nation.
Van Buren was the
prime mover who helped to establish the Democratic Party
Van Buren as a member of the Jeffersonian faction of
the Republican party, supported the doctrine of states' rights, opposing
a strong federal government and disapproving of federally sponsored
internal improvements. In the 1824 presidential elections there were
four candidates in the fray, Andrew Jackson, William H. Crawford,
Secretary of State John Quincy Adams and House Speaker Henry Clay. Van
Buren supported William H. Crawford in the 1824
presidential elections, also a Jeffersonian Republican. Andrew Jackson
received the most popular votes. The Electoral votes were split four
ways, and since no candidate received a majority, the election was
decided by the House of Representatives, which chose John Quincy Adams
as the President. After John
Quincy Adams, previously an independent Federalist, was elected
president by the House of Representatives, Van Buren brought together a diverse coalition of Jeffersonian
Republicans, that included followers of William H. Crawford, Andrew
Jackson and John Calhoun and founded a new political party, that was
soon named the Democratic Party. Thus Van Buren is regarded as the prime
mover who helped to establish the Democratic Party.
Van Buren's
re-election to the Senate in 1827. He becomes a campaign manager for
Andrew Jackson's presidential campaign
In February 1827, Van Buren was re-elected to the
Senate by a large majority, and had emerged as the principal northern
leader in support of Andrew Jackson's presidential aspirations. He
was one of the managers of the Jackson presidential campaign, and his
tour of Virginia, the Carolinas and Georgia in the spring of 1827, won
support for Jackson from Crawford. Thus, Martin Van Buren was able to
re-organize and unite the old Republican Party behind Jackson.
Van Buren elected
as Governor of New York, but resigns after a short time to take up
appointment as Secretary of State in President Andrew Jackson's
cabinet
Andrew Jackson easily defeated incumbent president
John Quincy Adams at the 1828 presidential elections, thanks to
organizing capabilities of Van Buren, who introduced for the first time
a grassroots style of political campaigning. Van Buren also resigned his
Senate seat and ran for Governor of New York in 1828 and was easily
elected. He became the Governor of New York, with effect from January 1,
1829, but resigned within 9 weeks on March 5, 1829 to take up the
appointment of Secretary of State offered to him by President Andrew
Jackson.
Van Buren's
resignation as Secretary of State
With time a rift developed in Andrew Jackson's
cabinet, as some Cabinet Members appointed at John C. Calhoun's
recommendation, began to demonstrate only secondary loyalty to Jackson.
Van Buren sided with Jackson during this rift, and emerged as the
President's most trusted adviser. Jackson was said to have referred to
him as "a true man with no guile." In 1831, the rift in the Cabinet
became so serious, that Van Buren himself had to suggest a way out of
the impasse created. Loyalists of both President Jackson and John
Calhoun, were called upon to resign, making way for the president to
appoint a new cabinet. Thus both Van Buren and the Secretary of War John
H. Eaton, resigned from the cabinet in April 1831, together with Calhoun
loyalists.
Van Buren's
diplomatic appointment as Minister to Great Britain
President Jackson appointed a new cabinet, and in
August 1831 sought again to reward Van Buren by appointing him Minister
to Great Britain. Van Buren arrived in London in September 1831 to take
up his diplomatic appointment and was cordially received. He served in
this capacity until February 1832, when he learnt that his nomination
had been rejected by the Senate on January 25, 1832. Vice-President
Calhoun as President of the Senate, had cast the deciding vote against
the appointment, when voting resulted in a tie, giving Calhoun the
chance for vengeance against Van Buren. This rash move on the part of
Calhoun resulted in his political undoing, and gave a great impetus to
Van Buren's candidacy for the vice-presidency. Van Buren left London and
after a brief tour of Europe, reached New York on July 5, 1832.
Van Buren's
nomination and election as vice-president on the Jackson ticket, in the
1832 re-election of Andrew Jackson as President.
In May 1832, the Democratic National Convention, the
party's first convention ever held endorsed Van Buren for vice-president
on the Jackson ticket, and in the presidential elections that followed
the Jackson-Van Buren combination won by a landslide. The duo was
elected on a ticket opposing the continued operation of the Bank of the
United States. Accordingly in 1833 all U.S. Government funds were
withdrawn from the Bank of the United States, and invested in other
State banks. Initially this had a beneficial effect and economic
activities such as land sales, canal construction, cotton production and
manufacturing industries boomed. However, the practice of issuing bank
notes that were not backed by gold or silver reserves, led to rapid
inflation and mounting State debts. Then followed in 1836, Jackson's
Specie Circular that required buyers of government lands to pay in gold
or silver coins (Specie). This resulted in increased demand for Specie,
which many banks did not have enough of, to exchange for their notes.
These banks collapsed. The ill effects of these wrong economic and
monetary policies began showing up only towards the end of the second
term in office of Andrew Jackson.
Andrew Jackson- 7th President of the United States
The election of
Martin Van Buren as the 8th president of the United States in 1836
As the 1836 presidential elections approached, Andrew
Jackson was determined to see that his vice-president Van Buren, gets
the nomination as the presidential candidate of the Democratic Party, in
order to continue his legacy. Accordingly, the Democratic National
Convention held at Baltimore in 1835, unanimously nominated Van Buren as
the presidential-candidate of the Democratic Party. Van Buren's
opponents at the elections, were the Whigs who adopted the strategy of
fielding several regional candidates, including William Henry Harrison
from the western states, with the hope of sending the elections to the
House of Representatives for a final decision. However, Martin Van Buren
was elected comfortably as the 8th president of the United States, and
entered the White House as a 55-year old widower with four sons. He
pledged to follow in the footsteps of his illustrious predecessor, and
retained all but one of Jackson's cabinet.
Martin Van Buren
appoints his daughter-in-law Angelica Van Buren to act as First Lady,
and preside as hostess in the White House
Dolley Madison on a visit to the White House,
introduced her cousin Angelica to the President's eldest son, Abraham
Van Buren. The introduction led to their marriage. Abraham Van Buren
became private secretary to his father, and Angelica Van Buren presided
as the Lady of the White House.
The financial
panic of 1837, that caused the downfall of Martin Van Buren
Within three months of Van Buren's inauguration, the
financial panic of 1837, the result of wrong monetary policies
adopted by his predecessor, starting with transfer of federal funds from
the Bank of the United States to State banks in 1833, caused the
collapse of hundreds of banks and business, and thousands of people
losing their lands, and the country plunging into the worst depression
in its history. Van Buren's remedy, continuing with Jackson's
deflationary policies, only worsened and prolonged the depression. He
attributed the panic to recklessness in business and overexpansion of
credit. Van Buren was concerned only with maintaining the solvency of
the National Government. He not only opposed the creation of a new Bank
of the United States, but also the placing of Government funds in State
Banks. He fought for the establishment of an independent treasury system
to handle Government transactions, something which was adopted only
towards the end of his term of office in 1840, that resulted in some
conservative democrats deserting to the new Whig Party. The serious
economic difficulties of his tenure of office caused a drastic loss in
his popularity, which was further eroded by the long and costly war with
the Seminole Indians in Florida, and by his failure to support the
proposed annexation of the newly independent state of Texas.
Martin Van Buren- 8th President of the United States
Martin Van Buren
was re-nominated for the 1840 elections, but lost to his rival William
Henry Harrison
However in spite of his unpopularity in the country,
Martin Van Buren was able to keep his party together, and was
unanimously re-nominated by the Democratic Party, as their presidential
candidate for the 1840 elections. As expected the revolt against
Democratic rule precipitated by the hardships caused by the severe
depression, led to the defeat of Martin Van Buren and the election of
his rival candidate, William Henry Harrison, the Whig Party candidate,
who has gone down in the history of the United States as the President
who served the shortest period in office, only 31 days.
President Martin Van Buren had a number of firsts to his credit
:-
1) He was the first president of non-British descent,
originating from early Dutch settlers, who settled along the Hudson
river in the 17th-century.
2) He was the first president to be born an American
citizen. All his seven predecessors were born British subjects, prior to
the American revolution.
3) He was the first president not to have spoken
English as a first language, having grown up speaking Dutch, as both he
and his wife were of Dutch descent.
4) He was the first president from New York State.
5) He was only one of two presidents who had held the
three key posts of Secretary of State, Vice President and President, the
other being Thomas Jefferson.
6) In May 1832, he was nominated for vice-president
on the Jackson ticket, by the first ever Democratic National Convention,
held by the Democratic party, a party that Van Buren helped to found by
bringing together a diverse coalition of Jeffersonian Republicans,
including followers of Andrew Jackson, William H. Crawford, and John C,
Calhoun.
His attempts to
return to the White House
Martin Van Buren attempted a return to the White
House, by seeking nomination for the 1844 presidential elections. He
secured a majority of votes in the Democratic convention, but did not
have the two-thirds which the convention required. After eight ballots
his name was withdrawn, and James K. Polk was instead given the
nomination. In the 1848 elections he was nominated as a candidate of the
Free Soil Party, and came out with a strong showing only in his home
state New York, but failed in all other states.
His life in
retirement and his death on July 24, 1862
He then gave up public life and spent some years in
Europe. Finally he returned to Kinderhook living at his estate "Lindenwald."
While in retirement he wrote his highly regarded memoirs, about slavery
related issues, and also a study on the organization of American
political parties, that was published posthumously. He long suffered
from bronchial asthma. In the fall of 1861, he contracted pneumonia and
became bedridden. On July 24, 1862 Martin Van Buren died of an attack of
bronchial asthma and heart failure, at his Lindewald estate in
Kinderhook. He was 79 years old. His funeral ceremony was held at the
Dutch Reformed Church in Kinderhook, and he was buried in the church
cemetry, where he joined his wife Hannah, his parents and one son.
You are welcome to discuss this
post/related topics with Dr Shihaan and other experts from around the
world in our
FORUMS (forums.internetstones.com)
External Links :-
About the White House, Presidents -
www.whitehouse.gov
References :-
1) Famous Pearls and Collections - Van Buren Pearls,
Chapter 16, page 464. The Book of the Pearl - by G. F. Kunz
2) Famous Pearls -American Museum of Natural History.
www.amnh.org
3) First Ladies at the American History Museum - Kat
Long. www,suite101.com
4) "First Ladies at the Smithsonian Exhibition Opens
at National Museum of American History - Press Release. December 3,
2008. Smithsonian National Museum of American History.
5) Biographies of the Presidents - www.history.com
6) Tour the Smithsonian after its first fifty years -
Department of Textile Fabrics.www.150.si.edu/siarch/handbook/textile
7) Sultan Qaboos Cultural Center - Past Events - 2007,
Omani Presidential Gifts-www.sqcc.org/events/pastevents
8) Pearl Weight and Pearl Length - All About Pearl -
Pearl price factors. www.allaboutpearl.com
9) Martin Van Buren - President of the United States.
Encyclopaedia Britannica
10) Martin Van Buren -
www.findagrave.com
11) Martin Van Buren - From Wikipedia, the free
encyclopedia
12) Martin Van Buren - www.whitehouse.gov
