Early presidents who have ended up less than revered. The Not So Famous Guys Early presidents who have ended up less than revered.

# 8 Martin Van Buren Humble origins in upstate NY. Was a savvy politician, and member of an important political organization in NY. Made his way to the U.S. Senate Won favor with Jackson as his supporter in the North.

Van Buren Continued He served as governor of New York, Secretary of State, and Ambassador to Great Britain, before becoming VP to Jackson, becoming the first “coat tail” president. During Van Buren’s presidency the economy slipped into a panic, largely due to Jackson’s policies. This was the greatest economic downturn in US history to that point. Van Buren could do little to stop the economic problems in that day, and instead, continued to fight a new federal bank, required the use of hard money, and reduced government spending to almost nothing. His nickname became “Martin Van Ruin”. Later he would run as president on the “Free Soil” Party, but during his time in the presidency he did not challenge slavery. Van Buren is most remembered as a flashy dresser.

#9 William Henry Harrison Harrison was born into an elite Virginia family, and was well educated. Served in the Regular Army in many Indian Wars, primarily in the Northwest Territory, or what is now Ohio Indiana, and Michigan. He was the governor of the Indian Territory in what is now Indiana.

Harrison Continued He was the “hero” of the Battle of Tippecanoe, and was successful in the War of 1812. The Whigs picked him to be their presidential candidate because they thought he could get the same popular support that Jackson had. They depicted him as a hard drinking, hard fighting, frontiersman, none of which he really was. Harrison got sick and died after only a month in office, the first presidential death.

John Tyler Tyler was born to an elite Virginia family, and was educated at William and Mary Tyler served in the Virginia legislature and as a US Senator. He became Harrison’s VP in 1840, when the famous slogan was “Tippecanoe and Tyler too”.

Tyler Continued Tyler was the first VP to secede the death of a president, setting the precedent of secession of the VP. Tyler insisted in running the executive his own way, vetoing Whig banking bills, making him an enemy of both parties. He went on to annex Texas for the US, thus expanding slavery. He also sent envoys to negotiate a treaty of with China, and used the Monroe Doctrine to keep the British out of Hawaii. Tyler is most famous for having 10 kids with his first wife, marrying his second wife when she was 22 and he was 52, and taking a position in the Confederacy prior to the Civil War.