Martin Van Buren on This Day in History

This day in history: President Martin Van Buren died on this day in 1862. According to the book "Recarving Rushmore: Ranking the Presidents on Peace, Prosperity and Liberty" Martin Van Buren ranks as the third best president (the top 5 presidents according to this book are John Tyler, Grover Cleveland, Martin Van Buren, Rutherford B. Hayes and Chester A. Arthur). The reason these presidents you never heard of were better is that they mainly left people alone. 

"Martin Van Buren was the least bad president in American history. Although other chief executives had some libertarian accomplishments, he was by far the most consistent. Domestically, Van Buren kept government spending and taxes low, and also brought to culmination the Jacksonian program for the 'divorce of bank and state,' despite the country being engulfed in a severe depression. But Van Buren’s most stunning achievements were in foreign policy. Mainstream historians usually rate presidents according to their forceful leadership, which biases them toward presidents who drag the country into wars, permitting displays of decisiveness and energy. But if we instead applaud maintaining peace, Van Buren has the unique distinction of keeping the country out of two possible wars. By blocking annexation of Texas, he forestalled a war with Mexico that unfortunately came about a decade later. He also calmed two major disputes with Canada, either of which could have instigated full-fledged conflict with Britain. One involved border incidents resulting from a revolt in Canada, and the other a clash over the Maine boundary. The unpopularity of these libertarian and diplomatic measures, even within Van Buren’s own party, contributed to his failure to win reelection in 1840 and renomination in 1844." ~Jeffrey Rogers Hummel

Van Buren became the first President who was born after the American Revolution, making him, in a newer sense, the first "American" born president.

See also American History & Mysteries, Over 200 PDF Books on DVDrom
https://thebookshelf2015.blogspot.com/2015/09/american-history-mysteries-over-200-pdf.html