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andrewrminion's review
Very detailed explanations of arcane New York politics that didn’t seem to be too relevant make this a bit of a slog. I couldn’t renew it due to a hold by someone else.
markk's review
3.0
Overshadowed by his predecessor and defined by the stigma of being only a one-term president, Martin Van Buren has rarely received his due as a political figure. Yet over a career spanning more than four decades he played a pivotal role in nineteenth century American politics. More than any other single person, it was Van Buren who created the Democratic Party and spawned the "Second Party System" in America, which helped to set the course of national politics as we know it. In this book, John Niven attempts to resuscitate Van Buren's historical image by offering readers an examination of Van Buren's life and times, one that helps to restore him to his proper place in the American pantheon.
The son of a tavern keeper, Van Buren's ambitions were evident at an early age. Possessing a friendly and charming demeanor, he rose quickly in New York politics, managing to surmount a number of prominent foes. The key to this was a political organization he built throughout the state, an organization that soon came to be known as the Albany Regency. Though initially a supporter of William Crawford for the presidency, after the 1824 election Van Buren threw his support to General Jackson, helping to deliver New York to the general's column in the subsequent election. Van Buren's reward for his untiring efforts and steadfast loyalty was the Secretaryship of State, the vice-presidency, and ultimately the presidency itself. Taking office amidst the onset of an economic depression, Van Buren's efforts could do little to alleviate the situation and was defeated in his bid for reelection in 1840 as a result. After another effort to gain his party's nomination in 1844 ended in failure, Van Buren abandoned the Democrats and ran for president as the Liberty Party nominee four years later, helping to introduce slavery as a campaign issue in presidential politics in the process - and triggering a chain of events that would end only with the secession of the South in 1861.
Niven's biography is an insightful and balanced look at Van Buren's long and impressive political career. Yet his is a biography of Van Buren as political animal; his policies receive scant attention until Niven's narrative reaches Van Buren's period as Secretary of State, with even less time spent on his personal life and political career. Such an omission weakens the overall value of the book, confining its value to Niven's impressive work in recounting the politics of early nineteenth century America. Here his account is likely to be unsurpassed, and should be read by anyone with an interest in Van Buren's political career or the often complicated twists and turns of American politics in the antebellum era.
The son of a tavern keeper, Van Buren's ambitions were evident at an early age. Possessing a friendly and charming demeanor, he rose quickly in New York politics, managing to surmount a number of prominent foes. The key to this was a political organization he built throughout the state, an organization that soon came to be known as the Albany Regency. Though initially a supporter of William Crawford for the presidency, after the 1824 election Van Buren threw his support to General Jackson, helping to deliver New York to the general's column in the subsequent election. Van Buren's reward for his untiring efforts and steadfast loyalty was the Secretaryship of State, the vice-presidency, and ultimately the presidency itself. Taking office amidst the onset of an economic depression, Van Buren's efforts could do little to alleviate the situation and was defeated in his bid for reelection in 1840 as a result. After another effort to gain his party's nomination in 1844 ended in failure, Van Buren abandoned the Democrats and ran for president as the Liberty Party nominee four years later, helping to introduce slavery as a campaign issue in presidential politics in the process - and triggering a chain of events that would end only with the secession of the South in 1861.
Niven's biography is an insightful and balanced look at Van Buren's long and impressive political career. Yet his is a biography of Van Buren as political animal; his policies receive scant attention until Niven's narrative reaches Van Buren's period as Secretary of State, with even less time spent on his personal life and political career. Such an omission weakens the overall value of the book, confining its value to Niven's impressive work in recounting the politics of early nineteenth century America. Here his account is likely to be unsurpassed, and should be read by anyone with an interest in Van Buren's political career or the often complicated twists and turns of American politics in the antebellum era.
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