Hannah Van Buren would have been first lady during her husband’s Presidency. However, she died almost two decades before he took office.
Hannah Hoes was born on March 8, 1783 to Johannes and Maria Quakenbush Hoes. She was the first cousin once removed of Martin Van Buren. The two are said to have been childhood sweethearts.
Like her future husband, Hannah was raised in a Dutch household and English was a second language.
On February 21, 1807 Hannah married Martin Van Buren at her sister’s home in Catskill, New York. One description says, “Van Buren was devoted to his shy, blue-eyed bride, whom he always called “Jannetje”, a Dutch pet form of Johanna.”
The couple had five sons, one of whom died in infancy, and a stillborn daughter together.
Hannah died on February 5, 1819 from tuberculosis.
Martin Van Buren never remarried after his wife’s passing.
Tomorrow: the daughter-in-law that served as First Lady