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A bit of trivia: Van Buren was also the only president who spoke English as his second language. He was born into a Dutch-speaking family and learned English only after going to school. Of course, that may be linguistic folklore. Anyone out there know for sure?

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Reputable historians and biographers say yes. But I haven't seen the direct evidence (MVB's testimony on the subject, for example).

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The jefferson jackson dinners are now largely called legacy dinners

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Another nickname he had was "Old Kinderhook", for his New York birthplace, which is thought to be one source for the modern expression "OK".

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