James Madison

Fourth President 1809-1817 "Father of the Constitution"

Born: March 16, 1751, in Port Conway, King George County, Virginia.

Education: Educated at the College of New Jersey (now Princeton).

Occupation: Lawyer and public official.

Religion: Episcopalian

Family Life: Married Dolley Payne Todd, a widow with two sons, in 1794. They had no children of their own. Dolley supplied all of the social graces, which the serious James lacked. When Madison became Jefferson's Secretary of State, Dolley became the social leader in Washington D. C. She continued her social reign through her husband's two terms and returned to Washington D. C. after Madison's death, remaining there until her death in 1849.

Political Career: One of the youngest of the Revolutionary patriots. Entered Virginia politics in 1774; very influential at the Constitutional Convention in 1787. Author of the "Virginia Plan," part of the Federalist Papers, which proposed a government of three great departments -- legislative, executive, and judicial -- and furnished the basis for the Constitution of the United States. Served in Congress, 1789-97, and was Jefferson's Secretary of State before becoming the Democratic-Republican candidate in 1808. Wrote the Bill of Rights, which was added to the Constitution in 1791.

Highlights of His Presidency: Disagreements with Britain on shipping led to the War of 1812, the first protective tariff acts written.

Appearance: Smallest President at 5' 4", and about 100 pounds, had blond hair and blue eyes.

Died: June 28, 1836, of old age, at Montpelier, Orange County, Virginia, age 85.

Buried: At the small Madison family cemetery on the estate at Montpelier, Virginia.

 Famous Words: "Great as the evil is, a dismemberment of the Union would be worse." ~ 1787 speaking of the United States already deeply in debt as a result of war, could not finance immediate abolition in the South.

Return to Great Americans Home