- In office since
- March 4, 1837
- Left office
- March 4, 1841
- Born
- December 5, 1782
- Died
- July 24, 1862
- Religion
- Reformed Christianity[2]
Life phases1
One octagon for each phase of the life of Martin Van Buren. Each of the eight axes is scored 0 to 5 against a written rubric from documented evidence, with its source; an axis without evidence is a gap, not a zero. There is no total and no ideal shape: it is a profile, not a ranking. Appearance and personality are not axes, because they cannot be scored from evidence.
No total and no ideal shape: a longer spoke means more of that axis, so a long Misconduct spoke is more documented misconduct.
Scores, rubric and sources
- 01Education1 of 5
- Medium confidenceVillage schoolhouse, then briefly Latin at Kinderhook Academy and Washington Seminary; formal education ended in 1796 when he began reading law; no college. Admitted to the New York bar by 1803.[1]Highest attainment by then: 1 secondary school, 2 some college, 3 bachelor's degree, 4 master's or professional degree, 5 doctorate.
- 02WealthNo evidence
- Net worth or income against the national thresholds of the time: 1 below the median household, 3 top 5%, 5 top 0.1%.
- 03Position5 of 5
- High confidencePresident of the United States, 1837-1841.[3]Scope of the role held: 1 entry level, 3 senior manager or legislator, 5 head of state or government, or the top role of a major institution.
- 04Public standingNo evidence
- Public approval or favourability where it was measured: 1 under 20%, 3 35 to 50%, 5 over 65%.
- 05HealthNo evidence
- Documented health where an examination or disclosure exists: 5 no documented concern, 1 a serious documented condition.
- 06Misconduct0 of 5
- Medium confidenceThe presidency article describes no formal investigation or official finding; historian Laurence Hauptman's claim that the 1838 Treaty of Buffalo Creek was fraudulently imposed is an allegation, not an official finding.[3]The documented legal and ethics record within the phase, as in the misconduct meter: 0 none documented, 1 only matters resolved in their favour, 2 an open matter, 3 one finding, 4 two or three, 5 four or more. More is more documented misconduct.
- 07Social good1.5 of 5
- Low confidenceOrdered the 1838 removal of Cherokee under the 1835 Treaty of New Echota ('some 20,000 people' relocated); the Second Seminole War cost over 1,400 American servicemen; he issued a ten-hour-day order for federal workers in 1840. Judgement-heavy.[3]Assessed effects of what they did in the phase on health, safety, education, rights and the environment, from official statistics or peer-reviewed evidence: 0 clearly harmful, 2.5 mixed, 5 clearly beneficial.
- 08Economic good1.5 of 5
- Low confidencePanic of 1837 began May 10, 1837 and was followed by a five-year depression with numerous bank failures and record unemployment; he won the Independent Treasury in June 1840 and kept the budget balanced.[3]Assessed effects of what they did in the phase on efficiency, growth and fiscal sustainability, from CBO and peer-reviewed evidence, as in the good-for-society reading: 0 clearly harmful, 2.5 mixed, 5 clearly beneficial.
No sourced record has been added for Martin Van Buren yet.
Sources3
Every statement about Martin Van Buren on this page comes from the wiki behind it, which cites each fact to the numbered source it was read from.
Health, weight and religion appear only where the person, their physician or a reputable outlet has published them; each links to its source.