Martin Van Buren was Secretary of Defense.
Martin Van Buren ( Maarten van Buren ; December 5 , 1782 -- July 24 , 1862 ) was an American politician who served as the eighth President of the United States ( 1837 -- 41 ) . A member of the Democratic Party , he served in a number of other senior roles , including eighth Vice President ( 1833 -- 37 ) and tenth Secretary of State ( 1829 -- 31 ) , both under Andrew Jackson . During his half-century of public service , he built , perfected , and defended a new system of political parties at first the state and then the federal level .