The fourth president of the United States of America was James Madison, an attorney from Virginia. He was a member of the Democratic-Republican Party and served his country and many public offices for forty-years.
On March 16, 1751, James Madison was born to Nelly and James Madison in Port Conway, Virginia. He was called Jemmy as a young boy and was the oldest of twelve children. Until he was old enough to go to church, he only had siblings, cousins, and slaves to play with. His grandmother taught him until he went to Donald Robertson’s Boarding School. In 1771 he graduated from The College of New Jersey now known as Princeton University.
James Madison entered politics when he was twenty-three years old. In 1779 he was elected to the Continental Congress. In 1787 he served at the Constitutional Convention, and in 1789 he was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. In 1801 he was appointed Secretary of State by his good friend President Thomas Jefferson.
After many years of public service, James Madison was married to Dolly Payne Todd a young widow from Philadelphia. They never had any children except he helped her raise her son Payne Todd. James Madison was elected the fourth president of the United States and served for two terms from 1809-1817. When he started his presidency we were having bad relationships with England that lead to the War of 1812. During this war the White Hose was burned. The Treaty of Ghent ended the war. The Cumberland Road was built, the First Savings Banks were founded, and the Star-Spangled Banner was written during this Presidency.
After his Presidency, James Madison returned to the family farm, Montpelier. There he died on June 28, 1836. We will always remember James Madison as “the Father of the Constitution.”
