Martin Van Buren ( Maarten van Buren ; December 5 , 1782 -- July 24 , 1862 ) was an American politician who served as the eighth President of the United States ( 1837 -- 41 ) . A member of the Democratic Party , he served in a number of other senior roles , including eighth Vice President ( 1833 -- 37 ) and tenth Secretary of State ( 1829 -- 31 ) , both under Andrew Jackson . During Jackson 's eight years as president , Van Buren was a key advisor , and built the organizational structure for the coalescing Democratic Party , particularly in New York . Of Dutch ancestry , he is the only president who spoke English as a second language , and was the first not to have a university degree or a military commission . In the 1840 election , Van Buren was voted out of office , losing to Whig candidate William Henry Harrison .
Martin Van Buren was exclusively unelected.