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James Madison
by John Vanderlyn, 1816
JAMES MADISON
Fourth President,
March 4, 1809 – March 4, 1817
Franklin P. Rice, 1882:
JAMES MADISON, the Fourth President, was born in King George County, Virginia, March 16th, 1751. He graduated at Princeton College in 1771 and studied law. A member of the Virginia Assembly in 1776, and in 1779, of the Continental Congress. He took part in the Convention that formed the Constitution, and afterwards labored for its adoption, and contributed a series of able papers to the Federalist. He served in the United States Congress from 1789 to 1797, and was appointed Secretary of State by Jefferson in 1801. In 1809, he was elected President, and held the office eight years. He died at Montpelier, June 28th, 1836.
Next to Jefferson, Madison is the most prominent representative of American Democracy. He lacked the mental power and keen perception possessed by the former; but his talents as exhibited in the discharge of his various duties in public life, entitle him to a place in the front rank of American Statesmen. His administration is distinguished for the War with Great Britain, which established our Independence and vindicated our Dignity as a Nation. He had also to encounter a more serious trouble in the opposition of a powerful faction, which made frantic attempts in the face of a great public crisis, to destroy the credit and break down the power of the government. The President was openly defied, and his demands for military aid ignored by the New England authorities. In Massachusetts, the Chief Justice gave an official opinion that as compared with the President of the United States, the Governor of Massachusetts was unquestionably of the most consequence. This opposition culminated in the celebrated Hartford Convention. The treaty of peace and Jackson’s great victory happily put an end to these proceedings and hushed all discontent. The last years of his administration witnessed the returning prosperity of the country, and Madison retired from office with the respect and gratitude of his fellow citizens.
Henry W. Rugg, 1888:
Each human life, however much of individuality it may possess, owes something in the shaping of its thought and action to outward influences of condition or surroundings. What men call inherent beliefs are but the consequences of early training, of custom, or of circumstance, such important factors in the development and upbuilding of character. Born in Virginia, March 16, 1751, at a time when the State was filled with patriotic ardor, James Madison, the fourth President of the United States, was early influenced by the atmosphere of culture and intelligent thought which surrounded him. Although his parents lived in Orange County, at Montpelier, his birthplace was in King George County, where, at the time of his birth, his mother was paying a visit to some of her relations. His father, a man of wealth and distinction, owned a large estate in the region of the Blue Ridge Mountains, and was a neighbor—as persons living within a radius of fifty miles were neighbors in those days—of Thomas Jefferson, then residing at Monticello, twenty-five miles away. Although the lad was a member of a family consisting of seven children, he was never very fond of boyish sports or out-door play, but preferred study and his books to anything else, and under the direction of a private tutor, applied himself diligently to the acquisition of knowledge, becoming proficient in the ancient and some of the modern languages. During his college life at Princeton he applied himself so closely to his books that his health suffered in consequence, and the effects of this over-indulgence in the way of study continued throughout his whole life, for, although never a feeble man, his naturally strong constitution suffered a serious and enduring loss of vigor. He graduated from Princeton in 1771, and after a year more of study under the able Dr. Witherspoon, president of the college, he returned to Virginia and began the study of law, combining it with research and reading in the lines of philosophy and theology. His refined home,
James Madison
by Charles Willson Peale, 1783
his cultured mind, his dignified manners, his friends and associates, all these were influences leading him into the paths of a public service and contributing to his after character as statesman and able defender, by word and pen, of the principles he advocated with such ability and power.
Passing rapidly over this period of the young man's career, a time when he was searching into theology and religion, and grasping the truths ever after firmly held,—a time when he was associated with Jefferson in opposing the claims of the Church of England, in demanding and striving to establish religious freedom in Virginia, the year 1776 marks his appearance in political affairs. He was chosen at that time delegate to the convention which was to form the constitution for the State of Virginia. His ability and learning were recognized thus early in his career; his talents, as shown in the Council of State where he served as a member under Patrick Henry and Thomas Jefferson, the first and second governors of Virginia, made him a valued supporter of these ardent patriots. Sitting at the feet of the illustrious leaders who appreciated the worth of the young man, Madison doubtless gained much that was to help him in later years, and probably this recognition from men of admitted character and standing, assisted him to more quickly attain a well-deserved position of honor and dignity. In the year 1780 Madison became a member of the Continental Congress, serving three years with conspicuous ability, during the period which included the closing events of the Revolution, the ensuing difficulties in the government calling for a wise guidance of the new Republic.
As a delegate to the Convention of States, which adopted the Constitution, September 17, 1787, Madison labored most earnestly in debate and had more to do with moulding the form in which the provisions of the Constitution finally took shape than any other man. His work was not ended with its adoption, however; the people must accept and the states ratify it. So Madison rendered important service in its behalf, arguing its claims, explaining its features, disabusing the objections arising in the public mind, finally, in 1788, uniting with Hamilton and Jay, in writing articles, celebrated then as now, discussing and defending the merits of the Constitution. These articles in collected form were known by the name of The Federalist, while by these writings and his other efforts in this direction, Madison gained the well-deserved title of Father of the Constitution. Temporarily this earnest advocacy alienated him from the support of the majority of the people in his State and he was defeated as a candidate for the United States
James Madison
by Charles Willson Peale, 1792
Senate, but was elected from the District in which he resided, a Representative to the lower house, taking his seat in the year 1789 and rendering important aid in organizing the new government. As a rule he did not favor the measures of Washington's administration, but sided with the opposition, becoming their acknowledged leader in the House of Representatives.
Having met with a disappointment in his affections during his early life, it was not until he was forty-three years old that Mr. Madison again lost his heart, this time to the charming Mrs. Dolly Paine Todd, a young widow who had been the reigning belle of New York and Philadelphia. His suit was successful, and they were married in the year 1794. Mrs. Madison was, in beauty of
James Madison
by Gilbert Stuart, 1804
person and character, well fitted for the dignity and honors of her position. She was charming in her home life, sought after as a shining light in society, was a brilliant conversationalist, contributing not only to her husband's domestic happiness, but to the eminence and popularity of his public career.
When Madison's term in Congress expired, in 1797, he returned to his home at Montpelier, to private life, in spite of the entreaties of his friends who urged him to be a candidate for the presidency. During the administration of Mr. Adams the "Alien and Sedition Acts" were passed and aroused dissensions throughout the country, causing the Republicans and Federalists to be more bitterly antagonistic than before. Through the influence of Jefferson, Madison became actively interested in the opposition of these acts, drawing up resolutions which were carried in the Virginia Legislature, and his masterly writings during this period in favor of "strict construction," served as a text-book for his party, while some thirty years after they were used by Calhoun and others in advocating the principles of nullification, although Madison, much annoyed by such perversion, had repeatedly
James Madison
by Gilbert Stuart, c. 1806
repudiated the idea that his arguments could be used in supporting a doctrine so opposed to his belief and judgment.
In the year 1801 Jefferson was elected President and soon appointed his friend Madison as Secretary of State, a position which he held during the eight years of Jefferson's administration. Madison was eminently fitted to fill this honorable position which called for intellectual ability, the cool and fair decisions of an able diplomat. The correspondence of Madison as Secretary of State, shows his polished style as a writer, together with his abilities as statesman and scholar. It was after this preparation that Mr. Madison was elected as President and inaugurated into his high office March 4, 1809. He followed for a time the peaceful policy of his predecessor, Thomas Jefferson, but soon became aroused by the action of Great Britain in her impressment of American sailors, so that in 1812 he signified his approval of the action of Congress in declaring war against the mother country.
In 1813 Mr. Madison was re-elected to his second term, and showed wise administrative abilities in the conduct of affairs, though he had not the bold, aggressive powers of leadership necessary to the carrying out of his own wise theories and plans. He did the best of which he was capable, but the qualities wherein he excelled, the impartial judgment, the calm reason, the dislike he had to forcing his opinions upon others, were not the attributes to make the greatest President in time of war, though they did contribute to the renown which he achieved as a statesman and constitutional authority. During the war, lasting nearly three years, the town of Washington was captured by the English, the public buildings destroyed, the President narrowly escaping capture by the British troops. None rejoiced more than Madison at the Treaty of Peace, signed at Ghent, December 24, 1814, which ended the war of 1812, made memorable by the victories won by the American navy, offsetting the numerous losses and defeats on land. The later years of Madison's administration were tranquil and pleasant ones; the country increased in prosperity, its population grew rapidly, its revenues were larger, and more than twenty-two thousand immigrants arrived in 1817, an enormous number for those early days.
Throughout the administration of Madison, the labors and influence of his cultivated wife played no small part. As a recent writer says: "She had the great gift of healthy beauty, and much clear common sense as well as quick wit; but her crowning talent was her charm of manners. She had what the French term courtoisie de coeur, as well as the courtesy of form also." Speaking of Mrs. Madison at her receptions in the White House, the same writer
James Madison
by Gilbert Stuart, c. 1821
adds: "She always moved about the rooms as a lady would in her own house, and in her own bright, natural way said something to every one, especially to those shy and nervous people, which made them glow with the pleased feeling that they were welcome and made to be part of her reception."
At the close of his second term, 1817, Mr. Madison retired to his home at Montpelier, Virginia, spending his closing years quietly and happily, interested in agricultural pursuits, consulted as an authority upon political affairs, entertaining his friends and neighbors and maintaining his interest in study and education. He was once again called to act in the public service by becoming a member of the State Convention of Virginia, which met to revise its constitution in 1829. He also delivered several addresses and speeches in these later years, maintaining his reputation as a gifted writer, a logical thinker, to the close of life. His death took place June 28, 1836, when he had reached the age of eighty-five years.
The quiet, studious boy in the home at Montpelier, the courteous, gentle youth at college, the learned counsel and impartial statesman, the dignified Secretary of State, the firm yet peaceful President of the Republic, the dearly-loved husband and friend in the quiet of his declining years, these are the pictures which the life of James Madison most vividly presents. The hints of character shown in boyhood developed through middle life and age into a harmonious, rounded-out existence, marked by no bursts of genius, no wonderful ideas or startling actions. America has reason to be proud of producing a man so scholarly and tolerant, so conciliatory and judicial, so courteous a gentleman, although he had never visited the old world or hardly traveled beyond the borders of Virginia. He was criticised, perhaps justly, for his timidity, and certainly he had not the qualities of a bold leader in political opposition, yet his quiet, analytical arguments, above all, his own calmness of judgment, often convinced men and helped his cause as much as more aggressive movements might have done.
Madison's married life was very happy: he was a husband, she a wife, whose examples make domestic felicity the sublime state here on earth, and teach humanity what a true marriage may mean. The dutiful son, caring so tenderly for his mother throughout her long life, could not fail to be otherwise, and the respect for old age which ever characterized Madison was a striking attribute of his noble nature. As a writer he was wonderfully gifted; his literary style is excellent; his language and form of expression models in their special lines of composition. These documents which he carefully prepared are valuable studies for the statesman and
James Madison
by Chester Harding, 1830
political leaders of to-day, not only for their literary merits, but also for the products of intellect and learning which they embody. The great talents of Madison, his distinguished position, his long and honored life have given him a place forever in the pages of history; his manly attributes, his sterling virtues, his gracious disposition, his pure, unsullied character have given him a higher rank in the hearts of the American people.