John Van Buren (May 13, 1799 – January 16, 1855) was an American attorney and

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, a ...

in the U.S. state of New York. He represented New York in the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the Lower house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...

and

New York State Assembly The New York State Assembly is the lower house of the New York State Legislature, with the New York State Senate being the upper house. There are 150 seats in the Assembly. Assembly members serve two-year terms without term limits. The Assem ...

in addition to serving terms as county judge and district attorney of

Ulster County Ulster County is a county in the U.S. state of New York. It is situated along the Hudson River. As of the 2020 census, the population was 181,851. The county seat is Kingston. The county is named after the Irish province of Ulster. History ...

. Born and educated in Kingston, Van Buren graduated from

Union College Union College is a private liberal arts college in Schenectady, New York. Founded in 1795, it was the first institution of higher learning chartered by the New York State Board of Regents, and second in the state of New York, after Columbia Co ...

, studied law, and attained admission to the bar. In addition to practicing in Kingston, Van Buren became active in the Democratic Party. The offices he held included member of the

(1831–1832), Judge of Ulster County (1836–1841), member of the United States House of Representatives (1841–1843), and Ulster County District Attorney (1846–1850). Van Buren was ill for the last three months of his life. He died in Kingston, and was buried at

Sharp Burial Ground The Sharp Burial Ground, also known as the Albany Avenue Cemetery, is located on Albany Avenue (NY 32) in Kingston, New York, United States. It is a small burying ground used during the middle decades of the 19th century, before larger rural cem ...

in Kingston.

Early life

Van Buren was born in

Kingston, New York Kingston is a Administrative divisions of New York#City, city in and the county seat of Ulster County, New York, United States. It is north of New York City and south of Albany, New York, Albany. The city's metropolitan area is grouped with t ...

, the son of Cornelius Van Buren and Elisabeth (Persen) Van Buren. He graduated from

in 1818, studied law with

Charles H. Ruggles Charles Herman Ruggles (February 10, 1789 – June 16, 1865) was an American lawyer and politician who was a U.S. Representative from New York and Chief Judge of the New York Court of Appeals. Early life Ruggles was born on February 10, 1789, ...

, was

admitted to the bar An admission to practice law is acquired when a lawyer receives a license to practice law. In jurisdictions with two types of lawyer, as with barristers and solicitors, barristers must gain admission to the bar whereas for solicitors there are dist ...

, and began to practice in Kingston.

Political career

He held many different political positions in New York, and in 1831 was a member of the

representing

in the 54th New York State Legislature. Van Buren was Judge of Ulster County from 1836 to 1841. He was elected as a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

to the 27th United States Congress, holding office from March 4, 1841, to March 3, 1843. While in Congress, he was Chairman of the Committee on Expenditures in the Department of State. After leaving Congress he resumed the practice of law and served as Ulster County District Attorney from 1846 to 1850. Van Buren died in Kingston on January 16, 1855 and is interred at

in Kingston.

The other John Van Buren

Van Buren is sometimes confused with

John Van Buren John Van Buren (February 18, 1810 – October 13, 1866) was an American lawyer, official and politician. In addition to serving as a key advisor to his father, President Martin Van Buren, he was also Attorney General of New York from 1845 to 1 ...

, the son of President

Martin Van Buren Martin Van Buren ( ; nl, Maarten van Buren; ; December 5, 1782 – July 24, 1862) was an American lawyer and statesman who served as the eighth president of the United States from 1837 to 1841. A primary founder of the Democratic Party (Uni ...

. President Van Buren's son was born in 1810 and died in 1866. John Van Buren of Kingston was born in 1799 and died in 1855. While both John Van Burens were active in New York's Democratic Party, President Van Buren's son never lived in Kingston, served as a Judge, or was elected to Congress.

Family

Van Buren and his wife Laura Amelia Hardy (1800–1874) had two children, Daniel Tompkins Van Buren (1826–1890) and Persen Van Buren (1842–1852). Daniel Tompkins Van Buren was an 1847 graduate of the

United States Military Academy The United States Military Academy (USMA), also known metonymically as West Point or simply as Army, is a United States service academy in West Point, New York. It was originally established as a fort, since it sits on strategic high groun ...

who served in the

Mexican–American War The Mexican–American War, also known in the United States as the Mexican War and in Mexico as the (''United States intervention in Mexico''), was an armed conflict between the United States and Mexico from 1846 to 1848. It followed the 1 ...

and the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

, and attained the rank of

brigadier general Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...

brevet Brevet may refer to: Military * Brevet (military), higher rank that rewards merit or gallantry, but without higher pay * Brevet d'état-major, a military distinction in France and Belgium awarded to officers passing military staff college * Aircre ...

as a member of the

Union Army During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union (American Civil War), Union of the collective U.S. st ...

References

External links

* * Union College
A General Catalogue of the Officers, Graduates, and Students of Union College, from 1795 to 1868
1868, page 25 {{DEFAULTSORT:Van Buren, John Democratic Party members of the New York State Assembly New York (state) state court judges American politicians of Dutch descent Politicians from Kingston, New York County district attorneys in New York (state) Union College (New York) alumni 1799 births 1855 deaths New York (state) Jacksonians 19th-century American legislators New York (state) lawyers Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from New York (state)