James Madison (1751-1836) 4th president of the United States (1809-1817)

James Madison was born on March 16, 1751 in King George County, Virginia. He graduated from Princeton University at the age of 20 in 1771. His political career began soon after as he served in the Virginia Constitutional Convention in 1776, and in 1780, as a delegate to the Second Continental Congress. Madison served as the chief recorder at the Constitutional Convention in 1787. He is generally regarded as the "Father of the Constitution". Later that year, Madison teamed with Alexander Hamilton (and to a small extent John Jay) to write the Federalist Papers, a series of persuasive essays designed to convince the states to ratify the Constitution. Under the collective name "Publius", Madison and Hamilton wrote one of the most important documents in the history of the United States.

In 1789, Madison was elected to the House of Representatives, where he helped draft The Bill of Rights and fought against passage of the Alien and Sedition Acts. Madison married Dolley Payne Todd in 1794. He helped found the Democratic Party and was chosen as Thomas Jefferson's secretary of state in 1801.

Madison was elected as America's fourth president in 1808. George Clinton was appointed vice president but died in office in 1812. Madison's first term was plagued by tensions with Great Britain and his foreign policy was widely criticized. Despite the problems that characterized his first term, Madison was re-elected in 1808 for a second term. Elbridge Gerry was appointed vice president, but he too died in office in 1814. During Madison's second term, he guided the nation through The War of 1812 with Great Britain, which many called the second American Revolution. Unfortunately, the peace treaty signed between the two countries ultimately settled few of the issues between the countries.

In 1817, after this second term, James Madison retired to this estate at Montpelier, Virginia. In 1829 he served as a delegate to the Virginia Constitutional Convention before his death on June 28, 1836. He was the last surviving signer of the Constitution. Madison was honored on the United States $5,000 bill before it was taken out of circulation.

Click here to learn more about James Madison

Click here to learn about Montpelier.

Click here to learn about the War of 1812.

Click here to learn about the Bill of Rights