Smith Thompson Van Buren (1817-1876) also served as a political aide to his father. He drafted many of his father’s speeches and, as literary executor of his father’s estate, edited the Van Buren Papers. He married a niece of Washington Irving.
Martin Van Buren never remarried, although his name was romantically linked to two women later in his life. One of these was Ellen Randolph, a granddaughter of Thomas Jefferson. He was a middle-aged U.S. Senator and she was still in her mid-twenties. She later married someone else, and Van Buren referred to her in his memoirs as “a very interesting young lady . . . and my warm friend.”
At the age of 68, he supposedly proposed to Margaret Sylvester, the daughter of his law professor a half-century before. She supposedly turned him down. They remained close friends.
Hannah Hoes Van Buren never got to see her husband as President, or her sons in important national political positions. But she contributed much to their success, especially in the upbringing of her four sons until her death. Her grace and charm did much to help Van Buren’s political career get started in the tumultuous political climate of New York. She never made it to the White House, but her presence was felt during her husband’s Presidency more than that of many women who did serve as First Lady.
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