James Madison (1751 – 1836)

What can James Madison teach our next president?

Facts at a Glance

Term
: 
4th President of the United States (1809 – 1817)
Born
: 
March 16, 1751, Port Conway, Virginia
Political Party
: 
Democratic-Republican
Died
: 
June 28, 1836

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Key Events

02/13/1815: News arrives of the December 1814 Treaty of Ghent …

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Speeches

Sites & Libraries

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Life in Brief: Like his close friend Thomas Jefferson, James Madison came from a prosperous family of Virginia planters, received an excellent education, and quickly found himself drawn into the debates over independence. In 1776, he became a delegate to the revolu… MORE LIFE IN BRIEF »

Essays about James Madison

Facts about James Madison

Term
: 
4th President of the United States (1809 – 1817)
Born
: 
March 16, 1751, Port Conway, Virginia
Political Party
: 
Democratic-Republican
Died
: 
June 28, 1836
Nickname
: 
"Father of the Constitution”
Education
: 
College of New Jersey (now Princeton University, graduated 1771)
Religion
: 
Episcopalian
Marriage
: 
September 15, 1794, to Dolley Payne Todd (1768–1849)
Children
: 
None
Career
: 
Politician, Planter
Buried
: 
Montpelier, Orange County, Virginia
Writings

Writings (9 vols., 1900–1910), ed. by Gaillard Hunt; The Papers of James Madison (1962–), ed. by W. T. Hutchinson, R. A. Rutland, et al.


Our country abounds in the necessaries, the arts, and the comforts of life.
March 4, 1813

Citation Information

Chicago Style
Miller Center of Public Affairs, University of Virginia. “James Madison.” Accessed February 13, 2017. http://millercenter.org­/president/madison.

Consulting Editor

J.C.A. Stagg

Professor Stagg is the editor-in-chief of the Papers of James Madison Project and a history professor at the University of Virginia. In addition to the volumes of Madison’s papers, his writings include:

Mr. Madison’s War: Politics, Diplomacy and Warfare in the Early American Republic, 1783–1830 (Princeton University Press, 1983)