The Red Fox of Kinderhook
The Enchanter, The Little Magician, The Careful Dutchman, The Master Spirit, The American Talleyrand … whatever you call him, Martin Van Buren (our jaunty 8th president) was an interesting character.
My friend Randy recently took me on a tour of the Hudson Valley, including Clermont, Olana, and many Van Buren hot spots.
Important side note: Randy’s ancestor tried to kill George Washington. I’m not making this up. As far as I know, Randy is the only one in my orbit who falls into the middle of this Venn diagram. Please comment below if I’m mistaken. As if it isn’t enough that he’s the 5th cousin (7 times removed) of the royal governor of New York/aspiring assassin of an aspiring founding father, Randy is also Little Van’s 3rd cousin (6 times removed). Needless to say, I was in good hands with this tour.
Randy and I magically (and accidentally) timed it perfectly to receive an awesome (and free) tour of Matty Van’s home Lindenwald in Kinderhook, N.Y. In my excitement, I couldn’t think of a single question to ask.
When I flipped through my sketchbooks afterward, I regretted not asking about his unusual fashion sense. Guess I have no choice but to go back.
Keep scrolling to learn more about King Martin and flip through my doodles.
FAST RED FOX FACTS
English wasn’t Van Buren’s first language.
Hij sprak Nederlands.
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His wife / first cousin Hannah’s first language wasn’t English either.
And with this brief mention of her, I’ve now referenced her more than he did in his autobiography.
(For even more about Hannah, listen to the Civics & Coffee episode Lost to History: The Van Buren Women.)
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He was the first president born in the United States.
And the first president (and still one of only a few) without any Anglo-Saxon blood.
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One of only two presidents with neither military experience nor a college degree.
Know who the other was?
I squealed when we rounded the corner and I realized where we were.
MORE RED FOX FACTS
There were rumors that Aaron Burr was his dad.
When Van Buren was a young adult, he spent a lot of time with the Vice President. Burr was 26 years older and they bore a strong resemblance to one another.
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His toilet was super-fancy and state of the art!
I mean, just look at that bowl. This was one of the first indoor toilets inside a home in this country. (It even flushed!)
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His home was “commodious.”
This disappointingly means “big” and is not at all a reference to his fancy commode.
EVEN MORE RED FOX FACTS
He opposed the expansion of slavery.
He ran for a second term under the Free Soil Party — founded to prevent the expansion of slavery. Very cool! But…
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His favorite niece told him she hoped he’d lose.
Because … Trail of Tears.
Doodles were inspired by Martin Van Buren, by Ted Widmer. For more sources, see my full bibliography.
