Martin Van Buren’s Secretary of State Commission

Washington, D.C. 1829

Martin Van Buren served as the 10th U.S. Secretary of State from 1829-1831. Following his tenure as Secretary, Van Buren was elected Vice President under Jackson (1833-1837) and then was elected President, serving until 1841. His accomplishments as Secretary of State include a settlement with Great Britain to allow trade with the British West Indies, a settlement with France gaining reparations for property seized during the Napoleonic Wars, as well as a commercial treaty with the Ottoman Empire that granted U.S. traders access to the Black Sea. James Alexander Hamilton, the third son of founding father Alexander Hamilton, was Acting Secretary of State at the time and signed this commission. Even today, the Acting Secretary of State signs the incoming Secretary’s commission.

  • Source/Credit: Gift of the Kiplinger Family
  • Catalog Number: 2018.0019.01
  • Created: 1829
  • Acquired: 2018

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APA Format

(1829). Martin Van Buren's Secretary of State Commission [Object]. National Museum of American Diplomacy, Washington, D.C., United States. https://diplomacy.state.gov/items/martin-van-burens-secretary-of-state-commission