Franklin Delano Roosevelt is one of the most well-known United States Presidents from the Hudson Valley – he was also the longest-serving president of the country and started the tradition of presidential libraries while still in office. But he isn't the only U.S. President with significant ties to the Hudson Valley:

The first U.S.-born U.S. President started “O.K.”

The eighth President of the United States, Martin Van Buren (1782-1862), was the first president born in the United States.

Van Buren was born in Kinderhook in Columbia County to a Dutch tavern keeper and farmer, and spoke in Dutch with his family and neighbors in Kinderhook.

Van Buren’s nickname was “The Little Magician” for standing 5-feet 6-inches tall, though his enemies often called him “The Fox” for his sly political maneuvers. Supporters named him “Old Kinderhook” during his 1840 re-election campaign to "Vote for OK" (which he lost) and has evolved into the now-commonly used term: “O.K.” [ Source ]

JFK’s hurdles with the former First Lady in Hyde Park

In August of 1960, JFK came to Hyde Park for a pretty simple reason: get Eleanor Roosevelt’s support for his presidential campaign.

But JFK had some hurdles ahead of him: the day before his scheduled meeting with Eleanor at her Val-Kill home, her 12-year-old granddaughter Sally died following a horseback riding accident. JFK offered to reschedule, but ER insisted to keep the meeting as planned.

Not only did JFK have to account for this recent family trauma, but Eleanor, who was “a major political force in the Democratic Party,” had already vouched for Adlai Stevenson to be the next U.S. President. ER believed the next president “needed to support Civil Rights,” and based on his voting record as Senator, she thought Kennedy would be “unwilling to push for Civil Rights legislation. During the course of their meeting at Val-Kill, they came to a compromise: John Kennedy agreed to make a strong stand on Civil Rights issues. Mrs. Roosevelt, in turn, agreed to actively campaign for the Senator.”

After that successful meeting, JFK crossed two miles over to the Home of Franklin Roosevelt National Historic Site to deliver a speech to the Golden Ring Club, a organization of senior citizens, in front of FDR's Springwood home and pay tribute to FDR and the Social Security bill he had signed into law in 1935.

JFK returned to Hyde Park on November 10, 1962 – to pay his respects at the funeral of Eleanor Roosevelt at the St. James' Episcopal Church.
[ Source ]

The President’s only child marries in Rhinebeck

One of the most high-profile weddings regionally in recent history was that of Westchester resident and former President Bill Clinton’s only child, Chelsea Clinton, to investment banker Marc Mezvinsky at Astor Courts in Rhinebeck on July 31, 2010.

The event was leaked to the local press by a delivery driver, creating a whirlwind of big-names and a lot of small-town gossip (and even sent this reporter into relatives’ backyards in the village trying to get a photo of the presidential guest list checking into the Delamater...) Though the rumors of Oprah and Lady Gaga were as ridiculous as they seemed, the bride’s designer, Vera Wang, was spotted strolling down Mill Street, along with actors like Mary Steenburgen and Ted Danson, and my favorite run-in on Market Street: John Oliver, who was then-reporting for Comedy Central’s The Daily Show. The former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright even made a pitstop at the Home of FDR before the wedding.

Also at Chelsea Clinton's wedding? Ghislaine Maxwell, British socialite connected to convicted sex offender Jeffery Epstein (pictured to the right of Chelsea in the photo above.)

An unlisted state park named after a president, for now.

The Donald J. Trump State Park – a 436-acre park spanning Westchester and Putnam counties – was purchased by the former president in 1998 for $2.75 million with plans to build a golf course.

Those plans were halted due to the area's strict environmental restrictions and permitting requirements, and Trump eventually donated the land to the state in 2006, claiming it was worth $100 million. One of the conditions of the donation was that Trump’s name “be prominently displayed at least at each entrance to the each property.”

The park is not listed on New York State Parks’ website (LINK) and efforts in 2012 to turn a section of the land into a dog park were stopped after a structure on site contained asbestos.

On Wednesday, February 10, 2021 the New York State Assembly advanced a bill to rename the park “to a name other than Donald J. Trump State Park.”

“New York State has always been known for its history of welcoming and embracing people of all cultures and backgrounds,” the bill states. “Even our park system reflects these values. The names of these parks and green spaces should embody the goals of uplifting and unifying New Yorkers. For these reasons the Donald J. Trump State Park should be renamed.”
[ Source + the NYS Assembly bill ]

Washington calls ceasefire during American Revolution in Newburgh

George Washington, who served two terms as the first president of the United States, announced the ceasefire for the American Revolution from his headquarters in Newburgh (84 Liberty Street). Washington also had headquarters at several other strategically prominent locations in the region including the John Kane House in Pawling, and the Van Wyck Homestead in Fishkill.

Dwight D. Eisenhower as a West Point cadet.

Honors from Orange County

Two former presidents – Dwight D. Eisenhower (class of 1915) and Ulysses S. Grant (class of 1843) – attended the United States Military Academy at West Point.

Lincoln rides, and stops, in Peekskill

On February 19, 1861, President Abraham Lincoln stopped to greet New Yorkers on the Peekskill Bay during his inaugural train ride between Springfield, Illinois and Washington, DC. Today, the 3,000-square foot freight and passenger rail depot has been restored as the Lincoln Depot Museum to commemorate Lincoln’s ties to Peekskill.

A Very Presidential Valley