Famous People Born In 1782

Martin Van Buren was an American statesman credited with co-founding the Democratic Party, one of the world's oldest and contemporary political parties. He served as the eighth president of the US and later became a prominent anti-slavery abolitionist leader. He also played a key role in forming the two-party system in the US.

The eldest child of Alexander Hamilton—one of the founding fathers of the USA—Philip Hamilton was an intelligent student and the pride of his father. His young life came to end following a deadly duel with lawyer, George Eacker, who made offensive remarks about Alexander Hamilton. Alexander Hamilton, himself, lost his life in a similar manner three years later.

John C. Calhoun was an American political theorist and statesman. From 1825 to 1832, he served as the seventh vice president of the US. Before becoming the vice president, Calhoun served as secretary of war, a position which he used to modernize and reorganize the United States Department of War. He was played by Arliss Howard in the film Amistad.

The wife of French king Louis Philippe I, Marie-Amélie de Bourbon was the last queen of France. Least interested in politics, she spent most of her life raising her 8 children. She also shunned public life for fear of a new revolution after Louis Philippe became the king following the July Revolution.

Faustin Soulouque was a Haitian military commander and politician. He is best remembered for his service as the President of Haiti from 1 March 1847 to 25 August 1849. He then acquired autocratic powers and declared himself the Emperor of Haiti. Faustin Soulouque went on to reign as the Emperor of Haiti from 26 August 1849 to 15 January 1859.

Better known as the pioneer of Protestant missionary work in China, Robert Morrison was the first missionary from the London Missionary Society to visit China. Apart from translating the Bible into Chinese, he also enriched Anglo-Chinese literature with his dictionaries and books on Chinese grammar.

Maha Bandula was a military leader best remembered for his association with the Royal Burmese Armed Forces, where he served as the  commander-in-chief from 1821 until his demise in 1825. He played an important role in the First Anglo-Burmese War. Maha Bandula is widely regarded as a national hero for his resistance against the British.

Orest Kiprensky was a Russian portraitist best remembered for his portrait of Russian poet and playwright, Alexander Pushkin. Renowned for his association with Romanticism, Orest Kiprensky worked on the portraits of several influential people like Count Sergey Semionovich Uvarov, Vasily Andreyevich Zhukovsky, and Konstantin Nikolayevich Batyushkov.

Esaias Tegnér was a Swedish writer, professor, and bishop. He was considered the father of modern poetry in 19th century Sweden. Referred to as Sweden's first modern man, Esaias Tegnér is best remembered for his national romantic epic Frithjof's Saga, which has been translated into many languages including English and German.

The daughter of Spanish king Charles IV, Maria Luisa, married Louis, Hereditary Prince of Parma, who was her first cousin, at age 13. While Louis later became the king of Etruria, following his death, Maria acted as a regent to their son. After the dissolution of Etruria, she became the duchess of Lucca.

Daoguang Emperor reigned as the emperor of the Qing dynasty from 1820 to 1850. His reign not only witnessed the First Opium War but also the commencement of the Taiping Rebellion. Over the years, he has been portrayed by several actors in TV series, such as The Rise and Fall of Qing Dynasty, Sigh of His Highness, and Succession War.    

Baptist preacher William Miller launched the movement Millerism, which propagated the idea of the advent of Christ. Millerism paved the way for groups such as the Seventh-day Adventists. He and his followers believed the Second Coming was to happen on October 22, 1844, but it never did.

A prominent figure of the Mexican War of Independence, Vicente Guerrero later also served as the president of Mexico. However, he was overthrown within 8 months of presidency. He was later convicted of treason and executed by a firing squad. He remains popular as Mexico’s "greatest man of color."

German naturalist, ethnologist, and explorer Prince Maximilian of Wied-Neuwied is remembered for his pioneering expeditions to Brazil and to the American West. In the latter journey, he was accompanied by Swiss artist Karl Bodmer, who drew illustrations supporting Maximilian’s notes about the tribal culture and life there.

Swiss folklorist and writer Johann Rudolf Wyss is best remembered for editing his father’s 1812 novel The Swiss Family Robinson. While he initially taught philosophy and then worked as a librarian, he later devoted himself to collecting folk tales. He also penned Rufst du, mein Vaterland, the previous Swiss national anthem.

Carl Henrik, Count Anckarsvärd was a Swedish Nobleman best remembered for playing an important role in the 1809 coup d'etat that overthrew Swedish king Gustav IV from power. Carl Henrik was an ardent advocate of liberal political, social, and economic causes in 19th century.

John Charles Spencer, 3rd Earl Spencer had earned the nickname Honest Jack for his spotless reputation while with the Whigs. He had a major role in the passage of the 1832 Reform Bill and later also sponsored the 1833 Factory Act, which aimed at reducing the employment of children in textile factories.

Nationalist thinker Aizawa Yasushi was from the Mito fief of Japan and was strongly against the Westernization of Japan. He believed Japan’s pride law in the fact that its emperors were descendants of the sun goddess. He is remembered for his works such as Shinron, or New Proposals.