Cabinet: Martin Van Buren
On this date in 1831, 10th Secretary of State Martin Van Buren resigned after two years in office. He was a successful Secretary, but resigned to help President Andrew Jackson with an overall Cabinet shake-up. Jackson named Van Buren minister to Great Britain, but the Senate rejected the nomination. In 1832, Van Buren was elected Jackson's second Vice President (John C. Calhoun was dropped from the ticket), and in 1836, Van Buren won his own term as President. Van Buren was the fifth Secretary of State to later be elected President.