James Bradley
From the Publisher:
A new biography of the 8th president of the United States, the first chief executive not born a British citizen and the first to use the party system to chart his way from tavern-keeper’s son to the pinnacle of power.
Martin Van Buren was one of the most remarkable politicians not only of his time but in American presidential history. The principal architect of the party system and one of the founders of the Democratic Party, he came to dominate New York-then the most influential state in the Union-and was instrumental in electing Andrew Jackson president. Van Buren’s skills as a political strategist were unparalleled (he was known as the “Little Magician”), winning him a series of high-profile offices: US senator, New York’s governor, US secretary of state, US vice president, and finally the White House. In his rise to power, Van Buren sought consensus and conciliation, bending to the wishes of slave interests and complicit in the dispossession of America’s Indigenous population—two of the darkest chapters in American history.
This new biography of Van Buren — the first full-scale portrait in four decades — charts his ascent from a tavern in the Hudson Valley to the presidency, concluding with his late-career involvement in an antislavery movement. Offering vivid profiles of the day’s leading figures (Andrew Jackson, Henry Clay, John C. Calhoun, John Quincy Adams, DeWitt Clinton, James K. Polk), James Bradley’s book depicts the struggle for power in the tumultuous decades leading up to the Civil War.
Reviews:
“Engaging and careful…[I]n facilitating the rise of [a] new democratic order, Van Buren defined his age and created our own, as Bradley’s biography dutifully shows.” – Adam Rowe, Wall Street Journal
“…a deeply researched and well-written biography of our eighth president…” – Washington Independent Review of Books
“Strongly recommended for readers who love history. Bradley is scrupulously fair in his judgment of Van Buren.” – Library Journal
Some of the many past discussions we’ve had related to our presidents that are available to stream now in our archive:
[Recorded and posted on March 27, 2025.]