Van Buren earned these nicknames for his resourceful political skills and cunning ability to land on the winning side of political controversy. He was such an effective politician that while he was a U.S. senator he led the support for Andrew Jackson in the powerful Northeastern part of the country during the 1828 presidential campaign.

Van Buren was elected governor of New York in 1828 but resigned after just a few months in order to become Jackson's secretary of state and one of the new president's most trusted advisers. What high-level position did Van Buren set his sights on next?