Martin Van Buren: The American Presidents Series: The 8th President, 1837-1841

This is an excellent book - period. I read dozens of presidential biographies per year, most of which are well over 500 pages. I like the long detailed biographies and do not generally like ones that are too short. I usually find them uninteresting and hurried. This is a short biography; however, I really enjoyed. I found the writing style refreshing and, I believe, Widmer did an excellent job of hitting on the most important points about Van Buren and the Jacksonian period. Because Widmer is writing to the non-historian, he does a great job of explaining things that may be confusing or unfamiliar to the reader. He provides just enough information to explain it, tell why it is significant, and to make it interesting. I believe that this is exactly what the historian and editor of the series, Arthur Schlesinger, had in mind when he started "The American Presidents series" - a short biography that explains 1) who the president was, 2) what were the times like when they served, and 3) why were they important to history. In these objectives, Ted Widmer succeeded beautifully and I strongly recommend this book as a starting point for Martin Van Buren, the Jacksonian Period, and the founding of the Democratic party. I give Widmer and his book five stars because I think it did a masterful job of fulfilling its purpose - giving the reader an enjoyable introduction to an important person in history. By the way, each of the books in this series has the same long intro from Arthur Schlesinger. It explains the importance of the presidents and the purpose for the series. If you, like one of the other reviewers does not like it, just skip it. Consider it an added bonus if you chose to read it.

This is a well-written book. Very enjoyable and concise biograph of an under-rated President.

This is one of the books in "The American Presidents" series, focusing on Martin Van Buren. The overall series editor, Arthur Schlesinger, Jr., speaks of what is at stake with the presidency, in his series introduction (Page xv): "But a system based on the tripartite separation of powers [executive, legislative, and judiciary] has an inherent tendency toward inertia and stalemate. One of the three branches must take the initiative if the system is to move. The executive branch alone is structurally capable of taking that initiative." In this book, we learn of the presidency of Martin Van Buren, sometimes called the Red Fox of Kinderhook, after his home town. He began in extremely modest circumstances to work his way up to the top position in American politics. In the process, he masterminded some major political inventions, such as the party caucus, the national presidential nominating convention, the patronage system, a publicity network, and the Democratic Party itself. Obviously, he did not do these things alone, but he was a key figure in the development of a new political structure and framework, far different from that of the early years of the republic. Indeed, as the book points out, he helped p[popularize the term "OK." The book describes his rise in politics and his clever political machinations. He hitched his wagon to the political star of Andrew Jackson, and that helped propel his rise. He was also a successful elected politicians, from his years in the New York state political scene. There, he helped form the "Albany Regency," one of the earliest stable political organizations. He was a Democrat, and also favored a more democratic process. Between 1826 and 1828, according to the author, Van Buren began the process of developing a modern political party. It is ironic that as he ascended the political ladder to attain the presidency, he ran into an economic disaster that doomed his presidency. The book discusses that, although there is not the detail one might wish. He did have some successes, but he ended up a one term president (although he tried another run later on--and failed). Then, the later years in his life are discussed. For a person who wants a quick literate introduction to Martin Van Buren (derided by some as "Van Van the Washed Up Man" after his defeat in the re-election campaign), this ought to do the trick. A good read. . . .

The most important part of this book is the discussion about how Martin Van Buren pretty much created the two-party system in the U.S. The idea that an organization and it's policy positions should take precedence over any particular individual was an important change in American politics. Furthermore, it led to an important advance in the spreading of democracy in the U.S. Of course, as with all changes, these changes did not come without costs. But the country is, for the most part, better because of Van Buren's party leadership. As for his presidency, who cares?

Martin van Buren is one of those forgotten one term American Presidents, trapped between Andrew Jackson and Abraham Lincoln. As the political boss of New York, he worked himself into the presidency with an impressive resume: secretary of state, ambassador to England, senator, vice president. Then his career came to a screeching halt. As a conservative who believed in the supremacy of states' rights over federal intervention, President Van Buren played a minimum role in the depression of 1837 or the disputes over slavery. He was a politician who did not led and lost the 1840 election as a result. This brief book (200+ pages) has the refreshing advantage of being written by a political operative (Mr. Widmer was a member of the Clinton Admnistration) who understands the practice of politics. It is well-written and to the point. However this is not the definitive biography of Martin Van Buren -- for that honor, the reader is directed to the 700+ pages biography by John Niven (1983).