Although Andrew Jackson had retired form public life in 1837 as the most loved political figure of his age, his successor, Martin Van Buren was not so fortunate, and could never match Jackson’s personal popularity. In addition, his administration encountered economic difficulties that devastated the Democrats and helped the Whigs. The Panic of 1837 was not Van Buren’s fault (it was probably caused by Jackson in his final months), but it fell on his lap, and under his administration, the nation took a huge economic hit. In Van Buren’s final year of presidency, the administration finally succeeded in driving the independent treasury (aka the sub-treasury system) measure through Congress. This idea was based on the idea that the government would place its funds in an independent treasury at Washington and in sub treasuries in other cities, and no private banks would have the governments money or name to use as a basis for speculation, so the government and the banks could be divorced. This helped to avoid future meltdowns such as the Panic in 1837, but it was not enough to secure Van Buren the reelection. Van Buren lost the election after his first term, and disappeared from political prominence.