Martin Van Buren Was A Successful Lawyer

The Van Burens were a struggling family with only six living children. Politicians like Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton frequented the bar that Abraham Van Buren owned. Martin got his first impression of American politics from this. Martin went to a one-room schoolhouse in Kinderhook until he was 14 years old. He did not attend college. Instead, his father utilized a political connection to get his son a job as a law clerk at a lawyer's office.

For seven years, Martin worked as a clerk, sweeping floors or running errands during the day while taking law classes at night. Martin Van Buren became a lawyer in 1803, when he was twenty-one years old. The Silvesters warned him to pay more attention to his wardrobe and personal appearance as an aspiring lawyer because he started his legal studies wearing shabby, homemade clothing. He followed their counsel and adopted the Silvesters' attire, demeanor, bearing, and behavior. Van Buren's career as a lawyer and politician, in which he was renowned for his friendliness and meticulous appearance, reflected the principles he received from the Silvesters.

Together with his half-brother James Van Allen, he relocated to Kinderhook to start his own legal practice. He had a great deal of financial and professional success as a lawyer. Van Buren would later hold the position of New York's attorney general.