A President of Our Own

On Presidents Day, it seems appropriate to consider Martin Van Buren, the eighth president of the United States. Born in Kinderhook on December 5, 1782, Van Buren was the first president to be born in the United States and the only president to be born in Columbia County. He is also the only president for whom English was a second language. He grew up speaking Dutch. 

Van Buren had a few connections to Hudson. He was born just months before Thomas and Seth Jenkins set out from Nantucket in search of a safe harbor for their families and ships. Their search ended, of course, when they discovered Hudson, then known as Claverack Landing. 

According to Wikipedia (as quoted by The Hudson Wail), Van Buren moved to Hudson in 1808, "seeking a better base for his political and legal career." It is believed that Van Buren's law office was located in this house which once stood near the intersection of Columbia Turnpike and Union Turnpike. The house was demolished in 2000 or thereabout to create a parking lot for Columbia Memorial Hospital.

There is a new biography of Van Buren, written by James M. Bradley and published by Oxford University Press, titled Martin Van Buren: America's First Politician. The book was reviewed today in the Times Union by David Levine: "The other Hudson Valley president." On the evening of Presidents Day, the review is recommended reading. It will make you want to read the book.

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