Editing Martin Van Buren (section)

===Election of 1844===
On the expiration of his term, Van Buren returned to his estate of [[Lindenwald]] in Kinderhook.{{sfn|Niven|1983|pp=478–479}} He continued to closely watch political developments, including the battle between the Whig alliance of the [[Great Triumvirate]] and President [[John Tyler]], who took office after Harrison's death in April&nbsp;1841.{{sfn|Niven|1983|pp=487–488}} Though undecided on another presidential run, Van Buren made several moves calculated to maintain his support, including a trip to the [[Southern United States]] and the [[Western United States]] during which he met with Jackson, former Speaker of the House [[James K. Polk]], and others.{{sfn|Niven|1983|pp=488–494}} President Tyler, [[James Buchanan]], [[Levi Woodbury]], and others loomed as potential challengers for the 1844&nbsp;Democratic nomination, but it was Calhoun who posed the most formidable obstacle.{{sfn|Niven|1983|p=501}}

Van Buren remained silent on major public issues like the debate over the [[Tariff of 1842]], hoping to arrange for the appearance of a draft movement for his presidential candidacy.{{sfn|Niven|1983|pp=504–505}} Tyler made the annexation of Texas his chief foreign policy goal, and many Democrats, particularly in the South, were anxious to quickly complete it.<ref name="rlambert1"/> After an explosion on the {{USS|Princeton|1843|6}} killed Secretary of State [[Abel P. Upshur]] in February&nbsp;1844, Tyler brought Calhoun into his cabinet to direct foreign affairs.{{sfn|Niven|1983|pp=516–520}} Like Tyler, Calhoun pursued the annexation of Texas to upend the presidential race and to extend slavery into new territories.{{sfn|Niven|1983|pp=518–520}}

Shortly after taking office, Calhoun negotiated an annexation treaty between the United States and Texas.{{sfn|Niven|1983|p=520}} Van Buren had hoped he would not have to take a public stand on annexation, but as the Texas question came to dominate U.S. politics, he decided to make his views on the issue public.{{sfn|Niven|1983|pp=520–521, 525}} Though he believed that his public acceptance of annexation would likely help him win the 1844 Democratic nomination, Van Buren thought that annexation would inevitably lead to an unjust war with Mexico.{{sfn|Niven|1983|pp=525–527}} In a public letter published shortly after Henry Clay also announced his opposition to the annexation treaty, Van Buren articulated his views on the Texas question.{{sfn|Niven|1983|pp=528–529}}

Van Buren's opposition to immediate annexation cost him the support of many pro-slavery Democrats.<ref>{{cite book |last1= Moore |first1=John Trotwood |last2= Foster |first2=Austin Powers |date=1923 |title=Tennessee: The Volunteer State, 1769–1923 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4LQCAAAAMAAJ |publisher=S. J. Clarke Publishing Company |page= 422}}</ref> In the weeks before the [[1844 Democratic National Convention]], Van Buren's supporters anticipated that he would win a majority of the delegates on the first presidential ballot, but would not be able to win the support of the required two-thirds of delegates.{{sfn|Niven|1983|pp=533–534}} Van Buren's supporters attempted to prevent the adoption of the two-thirds rule, but several Northern delegates joined with Southern delegates in implementing the two-thirds rule for the 1844 convention.{{sfn|Niven|1983|pp=535–538}} Van Buren won 146 of the 266&nbsp;votes on the first presidential ballot, with only 12 of his votes coming from Southern states.<ref name="rlambert1">{{cite journal |last1=Lambert |first1=Robert S. |title=The Democratic National Convention of 1844 |journal=Tennessee Historical Quarterly |date=March 1955 |volume=14 |issue=1 |pages=3–23 |jstor=42621214 }}</ref>

Senator [[Lewis Cass]] won much of the remaining vote, and he gradually picked up support on subsequent ballots until the convention adjourned for the day.{{sfn|Niven|1983|p=538}} When the convention reconvened and held another ballot, James K. Polk, who shared many of Van Buren's views but favored immediate annexation, won 44&nbsp;votes.{{sfn|Niven|1983|p=539}} On the ninth ballot, Van Buren's supporters withdrew his name from consideration, and Polk won the nomination.{{sfn|Niven|1983|pp=539–540}} Although angered that his opponents had denied him the nomination, Van Buren endorsed Polk in the interest of party unity.{{sfn|Niven|1983|pp=541–542}} He also convinced [[Silas Wright]] to run for Governor of New York so that the popular Wright could help boost Polk in the state.{{sfn|Niven|1983|pp=547–548}} Wright narrowly defeated Whig nominee [[Millard Fillmore]] in the [[New York state election, 1844|1844 gubernatorial election]], and Wright's victory in the state helped Polk narrowly defeat Henry Clay in the [[1844 United States presidential election|1844 presidential election]].{{sfn|Niven|1983|p=548}}

After taking office, Polk used [[George Bancroft]] as an intermediary to offer Van Buren the ambassadorship to London. Van Buren declined, partly because he was upset with Polk over the treatment the Van Buren delegates had received at the 1844 convention, and partly because he was content in his retirement.{{sfn|Cole|1984|p=405}} Polk also consulted Van Buren in the formation of his cabinet, but offended Van Buren by offering to appoint a New Yorker only to the lesser post of Secretary of War, rather than as Secretary of State or Secretary of the Treasury.{{sfn|Niven|1983|pp=550–556}} Other patronage decisions also angered Van Buren and Wright, and they became permanently alienated from the Polk administration.{{sfn|Niven|1983|pp=564–565}}