Okay? O.K.

When I moved to Albany in 1995, one of the first places I visited was Lindenwald, the home of Martin Van Buren, the eighth president of the United States. Lindenwald is located about 35 miles from Albany in the Town of Kinderhook. I learned a great deal that day but the most interesting to me was the derivation of one of our most popular responses.

It seems that while he lived in Kinderhook before he was elected president, Van Buren was given the sobriquet of “Old Kinderhook” and, as such, sometimes initialed requests, documents and other papers with the abbreviation, “O. K.” When he moved to Washington, D.C., he often continued to sign informal papers the same way. “O.K” became popular and that’s how “okay” or “O.K” came to be part of our language.

You might hear other explanations for “okay,” but most people have come to accept the Van Buren story.

For a look at Lindenwald and a tour of its many rooms, visit the National Park Service website. Better yet, if you’re anywhere near New York’s Capital District, go and see this wonderful home.