| Timeline |
| 1782 |
Born 5 December |
| 1796 |
Begins to study law |
| 1802 |
Studies under William Peter van Ness |
| 1803 |
Admitted to the bar |
| 1807 |
Marries Hannah Hoes Van Buren |
| 1808 |
Surrogate of Columbia County until 1813 |
| 1812 |
Enters the state Senate |
| 1815 |
Becomes the state attorney general |
| 1820 |
Chosen a presidential elector |
| 1821 |
Elected to the United States Senate |
| 1827 |
Re-elected to the Senate by a large majority |
| 1828 |
Elected governor of New York, resigns seat in Senate |
| 1829 |
President Jackson appoints van Buren as Secretary of State |
| 1831 |
Appointed minister to the Court of St. James (Great Britain) |
| 1832 |
Nominated for vice-president on the Jackson ticket, Jackson wins |
| 1836 |
Elected President |
| 1840 |
Runs for re-election, but is defeated by Harrison |
| 1844 |
Seeks Democratic nomination, but loses to James K. Polk |
| 1848 |
Nominated by two minor parties: the "Barnburner" faction, then by the Free Soilers - he wins no electoral votes |
| 1862 |
Dies 24 July |
