He supported the policies of President Abraham Lincoln, a Republican, during the American Civil War. He died of asthma at his home in Kinderhook, New York, on Thursday, July 24, 1862, aged 79.
In historical rankings, historians and political scientists often rank Van Buren as an average or below-average U.S. president, due to his handling of the Panic of 1837.

Early life and education[edit]
Further information: Family of Martin Van Buren
Van Buren's birthplace by John Warner Barber
Baptism record indicating the Dutch spelling of Van Buren's first name, "Maarten"
Van Buren was born as Maarten Van Buren[4] on December 5, 1782, in Kinderhook, New York, about 20 miles (32 km) south of Albany in the Hudson River valley.
His father, Abraham Van Buren, was a descendant of Cornelis Maessen, a native of Buurmalsen, Netherlands who had emigrated to New Netherland in 1631 and purchased a plot of land on Manhattan Island.[5][6] Van Buren was the first U.S President without any British ancestry.[7] Abraham Van Buren had been a Patriot during the American Revolution,[8][9] and he later joined the Democratic-Republican Party.