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Eighth First Lady of the United States

Hannah Hoes Van Buren was the wife of U.S. President Martin Van Buren. She was the first president’s wife to be born a U.S. citizen and not as a subject of the British crown. Because she died eighteen years before Van Buren became President (1837-1841), she is one of the most obscure of our First Ladies. Van Buren never remarried and was one of the few Presidents to be unmarried while in office. His new daughter-in-law Angelica Singleton Van Buren presided as the lady of the White House from 1839 until the end of his term.

Hannah Hoes was born on March 8, 1783 in Kinderhook, New York to Johannes Dircksen Hoes and Maria Quakenbush Hoes who were of Dutch ancestry, and was raised on her family’s farm. Hannah was taught in a local Kinderhook school by master Vrouw Lange. Dutch was her first language and she never lost her distinct Dutch accent.

All of Hannah’s ancestors were from Holland, the last immigrating to New York Colony after 1675. Through both paternal and maternal lines, Hannah Hoes and Martin Van Buren were cousins in a close-knit Dutch community, their ancestors all coming from Kinderhook. Through her mother, Maria Quakenbush, Hannah was related to Elizabeth Monroe (wife of President James Monroe), the Roosevelts and a distant cousin of Martin Van Buren’s mother.

No documentation of her life previous to her marriage exists; it is highly likely that Hannah lived as all residents of the insular community of Kinderhook did, speaking Dutch with their fellow townspeople and English with outsiders and tending to the chores of a rural life in an isolated Hudson River community.

Hannah Hoes and Martin Van Buren grew up together in Kinderhook, New York. When he left town at age 20 to study law and clerk at an attorney’s office in New York City, Hannah remained with her family in Kinderhook. They did not marry immediately upon his return but waited until he had first established a la

Summery

Hannah Van Buren was a woman with strong convictions and character, and her life was distinguished by a genuine dedication to her family and community. Hannah was the wife of Martin Van Buren, the ninth President of the United States, and played an essential role in his early political ambitions. Despite her unassuming and retiring manner, Hannah, one of the early First Ladies of the United States, wielded enormous influence on Martin’s life and presidency.

The values inherited by her children were born from Hanna’s teaching. When Hannah Van Buren died in 1819, eight years before Martin Van Buren became president and (he said) layers failed to keep her name above his other children’s in politeness ranks. Thus, her influence lived on. This chapter will tell Hannah’s story and why she intermarried with Martin Vann Buren, which would influence his later presidency at every turn.

Hannah Van Buren Facts

Hannah Van Buren’s Early Years

Hannah Van Buren, the daughter of Johannes Dircksen Hoes and Maria Quakenbush, was born in Kinderhook, New York, on March 8, 1783. She had two siblings: Maria Hoes Van Dyck and Peter I. She grew up in the Dutch Reformed Church and eventually attended and joined the Presbyterian Church in Albany, New York. From a respectable and even well-to-do family that was keen on education and social contacts, she must have had an excellent education.

Her father was a very

Wife of Martin Van Buren

Hannah Hoes Van Buren (born Hoes; March 8, 1783 – February 5, 1819) was the wife of the eighth President of the United States, Martin Van Buren. Very little is known about her. She died from tuberculosis in 1819, before Martin Van Buren became president. He never remarried and was one of the few Presidents to be unmarried while in office.

Marriage and children

Hannah Hoes married her childhood friend and cousin Martin Van Buren in 1807 when she was 23 and he was 24. She gave birth to five children, one of whom died in infancy.

Death

Hannah Hoes passed away from tuberculosis on February 5, 1819, at the age of 35. During Van Buren's term, his daughter-in-law Angelica acted as hostess of the White House and First Lady of the United States. When writing his autobiography, Van Buren did not mention his wife once, possibly to shield her from public references.

Further reading

References

This month was challenging for my Booking It Through History: First Lady project. President Martin Van Buren was a long-time widower, but unlike President Thomas Jefferson, he didn’t have a daughter to fill in as his hostess. It wasn’t until one of his bachelor sons married that he had an official White House hostess. Neither his wife nor his daughter-in-law have had any books written about them, so I tried my best to learn about them through other resources.

Each month, I’ll detail the life of the first lady and their legacy. Then I’ll share what I learned while studying them, along with ways you can travel in their footsteps through historical sites and museums. I’ll also share books, podcasts, TV shows, and websites where you can learn even more about that first lady. Read all of the way through the blog post or click on the links below to go straight to those sections.

Life

Hannah Hoes Van Buren

Hannah Hoes was born on March 8, 1783 to Johannes Dircksen Hoes and Maria Quakenbush in a Dutch Quaker community in Kinderhook, New York. Her father was a staunch Loyalist during the American Revolution. She grew up alongside a family friend/cousin once removed, Martin Van Buren, and soon they were in love. After he established his career as a lawyer, they married on February 21, 1807 just across the river at her sister’s home in Catskill, NY (not in their hometown to avoid throwing a big party!). Both Hannah and Martin spoke Dutch as their first language and English as a second language, the only president to do so. 

Not much is known about their married life, but it seems to have been a happy one. Hannah is reported to have had “no ambitious desires” but had a strong faith and a warm disposition, devoting herself to charitable works. Martin became involved in politics even before their marriage and moved his family to Hudson, NY to find a better base to begin his political career. Hannah gave birth to their first child, Abraham, in late 180