Martin Van Buren…

eighth president of the United States and founder of the Democratic Party, was born in Kinderhook, New York, on this date in 1782. According to the Library of Congress, “Just five feet six inches tall, Van Buren earned the nicknames ‘The Little Magician,’ and the ‘Red Fox of Kinderhook’ for his legendary skill in political manipulation. Alongside his gift for politics, however, Van Buren harbored a strong sense of idealism that led him, late in his career, to oppose the westward expansion of slavery.”