Editing Martin Van Buren (section)

===Cabinet===
{{Main|Presidency of Martin Van Buren#Cabinet}}
[[File:Martin Van Buren MET ap93.19.2 (cropped 3x4).jpg|thumb|Van Buren as painted by [[Henry Inman (painter)|Henry Inman]] during his presidency, c. 1837–38]]
Martin Van Buren was sworn in as the eighth President of the United States on March 4, 1837. He retained much of Jackson's cabinet and lower-level appointees, as he hoped that the retention of Jackson's appointees would stop Whig momentum in the South and restore confidence in the Democrats as a party of sectional unity.{{sfn|Nowlan|2012|p=320}} The cabinet holdovers represented the different regions of the country: Secretary of the Treasury [[Levi Woodbury]] came from New England, Attorney General [[Benjamin Franklin Butler (lawyer)|Benjamin Franklin Butler]] and Secretary of the Navy [[Mahlon Dickerson]] hailed from New York and New Jersey, respectively, Secretary of State [[John Forsyth (Georgia)|John Forsyth]] of Georgia represented the South, and Postmaster General [[Amos Kendall]] of Kentucky represented the West.

For the lone open position of Secretary of War, Van Buren first approached William Cabell Rives, who had sought the vice presidency in 1836. After Rives declined to join the cabinet, Van Buren appointed [[Joel Roberts Poinsett]], a South Carolinian who had opposed secession during the [[Nullification Crisis]]. Van Buren's cabinet choices were criticized by Pennsylvanians such as [[James Buchanan]], who argued that their state deserved a cabinet position as well as some Democrats who argued that Van Buren should have used his patronage powers to augment his power. However, Van Buren saw value in avoiding contentious patronage battles, and his decision to retain Jackson's cabinet made it clear that he intended to continue the policies of his predecessor. Additionally, Van Buren had helped select Jackson's cabinet appointees and enjoyed strong working relationships with them.{{sfn|Wilson|1984|pp=37–40}}

Van Buren held regular formal cabinet meetings and discontinued the informal gatherings of advisors that had attracted so much attention during Jackson's presidency. He solicited advice from department heads, tolerated open and even frank exchanges between cabinet members, perceiving himself as "a mediator, and to some extent an umpire between the conflicting opinions" of his counselors. Such detachment allowed the president to reserve judgment and protect his prerogative for making final decisions. These open discussions gave cabinet members a sense of participation and made them feel part of a functioning entity, rather than isolated executive agents.{{sfn|Nowlan|2012|p=321}} Van Buren was closely involved in foreign affairs and matters pertaining to the Treasury Department; but the Post Office, War Department, and Navy Department had significant autonomy under their respective cabinet secretaries.{{sfn|Wilson|1984|p=171}}