Martin Van Buren
PhilippinesMartin Van Buren, the eighth president of the United States, was born on December 5th, 1782, in Kinderhook, New York. His parents were Abraham Van Buren, a farmer and tavern keeper, and Maria Hoes Van Alen, both of Dutch descent. Van Buren attended the village school and then the Kinderhook Academy before he began to read law with Francis Silvester, a local attorney, in 1796, when he was only 14. ... Martin Van Burens successful law practice and involvement in local politics eventually provided a strong base for his launch into national politics. Upon his entry in politics, Martin Van Buren invented the American Democratic Party. ... Cole, who penned the book, Martin Van Buren and The American Political System, gives a compelling description of the eighth American president. ... With Martin Van Buren’s great successes lie his own great failures that hold the most significant lessons for progeny.