How 8th US President Martin Van Buren’s Granddaughters Became Motorcycle Pioneers
Adeline and Augusta Van Buren made an historic journey across the United States in the name of women’s rights and supporting the country’s World War I effort
With his tenure nestled between that of Andrew Jackson and William Henry Harrison, 8th U.S. President Martin Van Buren had a relatively obscure four years (1837–1841) in office. While he helped found the Democratic party, his time in the White House was marked by an economic depression, his attempt to avoid conflict on the issue of slavery, and his continuation of fighting and removing Native Americans from tribal lands. However, his granddaughters, Adeline and Augusta stepped out of the shadow of their famous grandfather and became legends in their own right as women pioneers of motorcycles.
President Van Buren passed away in 1862, decades before Adeline (1889) and Augusta (1884), who were better known as Addie and Gussie, were born in New York. The family legacy meant they grew up in comfort, and that did nothing to inhibit their wanderlust and sense of adventure.
The early part of the 20th century was a time of innovation, exploration and the pushing of boundaries. Technology was beginning to…
