James Madison, Founding Father, architect of the Constitution, and fourth President of the United States, was born on March 16, 1751, at his mother’s home in Port Conway, Virginia, on the Rappahannock River near Fredericksburg. His parents—Nelly Conway Madison and James Madison, Sr.—couldn’t have known that their eldest child would have a major role in shaping the collection of British colonies they currently inhabited into a nation that would ultimately become a global superpower.
The Madisons lived in a relatively small plantation house called Mount Pleasant in Orange County, Virginia during James Madison, Jr.’s young childhood. In the early 1760s, the plantation’s enslaved labor force constructed a brick Georgian structure a half-mile away, and the Madisons moved into this house, later renaming the estate "Montpelier."
A naturally curious and studious child, James Madison likely began his education at home under his mother. He was the oldest of 12 children, although only seven would live to adulthood, and as the eldest son of a wealthy Virginia planter, Madison had a number of privileges that would allow him to hone his inquisitive mind. A distinguished Scottish teacher named Donald Robertson instructed young “Jemmy” between the ages of 11 and 16 at his school in King and Queen County. There, the eager pupil discovered a fascination for an array of subjects, including mathematics, geography, and both modern and classical languages, particularly Latin. His ability to dive deeply into ancient philosophy built a foundation for the future statesman’s influential ideas.
After some further preparatory study back at Montpelier under the Reverend Thomas Martin, James Madison chose to pursue his higher education at the College of New Jersey, which would later be known as Princeton University. Most prominent young Virginians, such as his future mentor and friend Thomas Jefferson, attended the College of William and Mary. But the Virginia college’s humid, coastal clime was thought to be detrimental to Madison’s health, so northward he went.
In 1771, Madison graduated with high marks in classical languages, mathematics, rhetoric, geography, and philosophy. Not satisfied with just those subjects, he became the college’s first graduate student, studying Hebrew and political philosophy under university president John Witherspoon, later a signer of the Declaration of Independence.
A Political Crusader and Natural Diplomat
James Madison was unsure what to choose as a vocation when he came home to Montpelier. In hindsight, a transition into politics seemed inevitable for Madison, who took a keen interest in the ways governments functioned—particularly the struggle between the American colonies and Great Britain. He started local, as a member of the Orange County Committee of Safety in 1774, before being elected to the Virginia legislature in 1776.
There, he began forming ties with Jefferson. The two would work closely in 1779 when Jefferson became Governor of Virginia and Madison served on the Governor’s Council. Madison next served in the Continental Congress from 1780 to 1783, gaining a reputation for thoroughly considered arguments and for bringing multiple interests together in coalitions.
By the time he moved back to Virginia to serve a second term in the legislature, Madison felt uneasy with the way that state governments were operating. He saw state legislatures as pandering too much to the whims of their constituents, rather than taking a more holistic view. As a result of this “excessive democracy,” there was unrest in many corners of the new country.
The Father of the Constitution
With a largely powerless central government, 13 state governments passing too many laws that were rapidly changing and sometimes even unjust, it was starting to become clear that the Articles of Confederation, the agreement between the states created after the Revolution, just didn’t provide enough structure. The central government couldn’t pay its debts, and it couldn't require the state to contribute their share to comply with federal laws. The great American Experiment was in danger of failing.
In preparation for the 1787 Constitutional Convention, Madison drafted a document known as the Virginia Plan, which provided the framework for the Constitution of the United States. Madison, then 36, spent the months leading up to the convention in Montpelier’s library, studying many centuries of political philosophy and histories of past attempts at republican forms of government. His plan proposed a central government with three branches that would check and balance each other, keeping any one branch from wielding too much power. No such government had ever been created before, and Madison had to use all of his diplomatic skill to argue for his position. He also had to accept compromises to ensure that the Convention would produce a Constitution that all the states could accept.
The final Constitution—of which James Madison rejected being called the father, insisting until his death that it was the result of the efforts of many—still needed to be ratified. Madison, along with Alexander Hamilton and John Jay, penned a series of 85 newspaper articles in New York that addressed concerns and detailed how the Constitution would function, helping to sway the American people in favor of the new government. These “Federalist Papers” are still considered some of the most groundbreaking political philosophy of all time.
Madison returned to Virginia to join its ratifying convention, where he famously debated the great orator and Anti-Federalist Patrick Henry. Along with the other states, Virginia would go on to ratify the Constitution.
Author of the Bill of Rights
Initially, James Madison believed that a Bill of Rights was not only unnecessary but potentially harmful. If we enumerated some rights but not others, would it imply that others weren’t included? Would a Bill of Rights carry any weight in the face of a despotic government anyway?
He ended up coming around to the idea when it appeared that the Constitution would only be ratified with the promise of a Bill of Rights. So Madison compiled a list of 19 proposals from the hundreds of suggestions that had come out of the states' ratification debates. A Congressional committee reworked those suggestions into 12 amendments, 10 of which would go on to be ratified by the states. Instead of becoming amendments worked into the body of the document as Madison had thought, the amendments were added at the end of the Constitution as a separate Bill of Rights.
Becoming the Madisons
In 1794, a young Quaker widow named Dolley Payne Todd (1768-1849) prepared to meet the esteemed statesman, James Madison at the request of her acquaintance Aaron Burr. She was 26 and had recently lost her husband and younger son in a yellow fever epidemic in Philadelphia, where her family had moved from their plantation in Hanover County, Virginia 11 years prior.
Dolley and the 43-year-old Madison married later that year. Because Madison was not a Quaker, she was expelled from the Society of Friends after the two were wed at Harewood, the plantation of her sister’s husband in what is now West Virginia. Madison would help raise Dolley’s surviving son, John Payne Todd (known as Payne), and the family lived in Philadelphia until 1797 when they returned to Montpelier.
At his father’s death in 1801, Madison inherited Montpelier and the 100-plus enslaved African Americans who came with it. Dolley Madison was once again part of a slave-owning family, despite the Quaker convictions that inspired her father to emancipate his own slaves after the Revolution.
President James Madison — David Edwin after Thomas Sully
The Madisons Go to Washington
After serving in the first four Congresses under the new Constitution, Madison intended to retire from politics altogether, but when his friend and colleague Thomas Jefferson named him Secretary of State in 1801, the Madisons moved to Washington, D.C., the new nation’s new capital city. During Jefferson’s administration, Madison argued for America's shipping rights as a neutral party in the war between France and Great Britain and assisted in engineering the Louisiana Purchase.
When Jefferson’s time in the White House was coming to a close, James Madison was the clear choice for his party, the Democratic-Republicans.
President and Mrs. Madison
James Madison easily defeated Charles Cotesworth Pinckney, the candidate of the Federalist party, which was quickly losing ground. After the Madisons moved into the White House in 1809, both Dolley and James began working in their own unique ways to bring about compromises in a Congress that was divided in how it wanted to approach the ongoing European conflicts. James Madison mollified various political factions in his cabinet member selection, although it left him with a lackluster cabinet that he gradually replaced with more competent individuals. Madison also attempted to balance the demands of Henry Clay’s War Hawks, who wanted an immediate war with Great Britain.
Similarly, Dolley put all her powers of charm and diplomacy into turning the White House into a place of hospitality, where politicians and their spouses could come together to have civil and even pleasant conversations, despite being on opposite sides of an issue. Guided by Dolley Madison’s hand, the Executive Mansion achieved a happy medium between the too-stiff protocols of Washington and Adams and the overly-casual and male-dominated gatherings of Jefferson. Visitors to the White House felt warmly welcomed in what would become synonymous with the American way—a not-too-formal environment built on respect for each individual guest.
A depiction of the Executive Mansion after it was burned during the British invasion of the War of 1812.
A Nation at War
Ultimately, the conflict between Napoleon and Britain bled into American waters and onto American soil. Much of the country (and much of Congress) saw Britain’s actions—impressing American sailors into service and arming Native Americans to attack settlers—as those of a hostile nation, and what was nicknamed the “Second War of Independence” commenced.
Madison quickly realized that the work that he and Jefferson had done to dismantle the national bank and oppose a standing army had left the nation largely unprepared for a war. Segmented state militias and competing interests made for clumsy initial military efforts. In a move that shocked America, British troops invaded Washington D.C. and burned the White House. Dolley Madison made the now legendary decision to order valuables to be taken to safety before the British raided arrived—those valuables included the iconic Gilbert Stuart portrait of George Washington.
The tides turned, and battles on Lake Erie and at Baltimore's Fort McHenry leveled the playing field for the American military. When the War of 1812 ended in February 1815 with the Treaty of Ghent, the two governments considered it mostly a draw—no territory gained or lost, and no guarantee that American seamen's rights would be respected. But to the American people, it was an important moment that showed the world they were not to be trifled with.
The Madisons at Montpelier
James Madison left Washington with a solid legacy. He made important inroads in re-establishing the national bank, a working taxation system, and a standing military. The balanced central government he’d outlined in the Constitution was beginning to prove itself a success.
The Madisons finally retired to Montpelier in 1817 when James was 65 and Dolley was 49. An enthusiastic farmer, Madison applied the best practices he'd researched to raising wheat and tobacco, but weather, pests, and market prices conspired to keep the plantation's profits low. Madison's finances were further strained by the debts racked up by his stepson, John Payne Todd, a gambler and an alcoholic.
Throughout Madison's retirement years, he busied himself with editing his notes from the Constitutional Convention and other papers, as a gift to posterity and as a way to support Dolley after his death, through their publication. Madison worried about the question of slavery as well, engaging in multiple discussions with esteemed visitors about the possibility of colonizing freed slaves in Africa. While Madison may have considered freeing his own slaves, he decided to leave them to Dolley in his will, with the expressed desire that she not sell them without their consent (a wish she ultimately failed to honor).
The fourth President of the United States and the Father of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights died peacefully over his breakfast on June 28, 1836. He is buried in the family cemetery at Montpelier, where Dolley, his wife of 42 years, eventually joined him.
James Madison's Appreciation Day
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Born:
Place: Guilford County, North Carolina
Date: 1768, May 20
Place: Guilford County, North Carolina
Date: 1768, May 20
An artist’s conception of the building considered to be the birthplace of Dolley Payne Madison in New Garden, North Carolina. (drawing by Anna Bell Bonds)
Father
John Payne, born, 1736, Goochland County, Virginia; believed to have initially been a planter; once he emancipated his slaves ( according to then-prevailing Quaker belief ) and moved to Philadelphia in 1783, Payne opened a small laundry starch-making business which failed. He died, 1792, October 24.
John Payne, born, 1736, Goochland County, Virginia; believed to have initially been a planter; once he emancipated his slaves ( according to then-prevailing Quaker belief ) and moved to Philadelphia in 1783, Payne opened a small laundry starch-making business which failed. He died, 1792, October 24.
Mother:
Mary Coles Payne, born 1745, married 1761 in Hanover County, Virginia; Mary Coles was a Quaker, John Payne an Episcopalian. In 1764, he applied for membership in her meeting house and was accepted. In 1766, they moved to North Carolina with other Quaker families. In 1769, they returned to Virginia. In 1783, they settled in Philadelphia.
Mary Coles Payne, born 1745, married 1761 in Hanover County, Virginia; Mary Coles was a Quaker, John Payne an Episcopalian. In 1764, he applied for membership in her meeting house and was accepted. In 1766, they moved to North Carolina with other Quaker families. In 1769, they returned to Virginia. In 1783, they settled in Philadelphia.
After her husband's 1792 death, Mary Payne briefly opened their home to boarders, including Congressman Aaron Burr of New York. Several years later, Burr introduced the widowed Dolley Todd to Congressman James Madison of Virginia. In 1793 Mary Payne moved to " Harewood, " the home of her daughter Lucy Washington, in Berkeley Springs, West Virginia. She died at home of Mary Jackson, in October 1807.
Ancestry:
The Philadelphia boarding house operated by the mother of Dolley Madison, where the latter met Aaron Burr, a boarder, who introduced her to James Madison.(The Life and Letters of Dolley Madison,1912)
Irish, Scottish, French, English; Dolley Madison's maternal grandfather, William Coles, was born in 1703 in Enniscarthy, Ireland, immigrated to and died in Virginia in 1781. Her paternal great-great-grandfather John Fleming was born in Scotland in 1627, immigrated to and died in Virginia in 1686. Her paternal great-great-great grandfather John Payne was born in 1615 in England and immigrated to and died in Virginia in 1690. Her paternal great-great-great grandparents Cornelius Dabney ( born, 1640 ) and Susanna Swan ( born, 1644 ) were born in France and immigrated to and died in Virginia.
Birth Order and siblings:
Fourth of eight children; Four brothers, three sisters; Walter Payne ( early 1760's -1784 ), William Temple Payne ( mid-1760's-1795 ), Isaac Payne ( mid-1760's-1795 ), Lucy Payne Washington Todd ( 1777-1846 ), Anna Payne Cutts ( 1779-1832 ), Mary " Polly " Payne Jackson ( 1781-1808 ), John C. Payne ( born in 1782, death date unknown ). Her sister Lucy was first married to George Steptoe Washington, the nephew of the first President, and married secondly, Thomas Todd, a U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice. Her sister Mary was married to John George Jackson, U.S. Congressman ( Virginia ). Her sister Anna was married to Richard Cutts, U.S. Congressman ( Massachusetts ).
Fourth of eight children; Four brothers, three sisters; Walter Payne ( early 1760's -1784 ), William Temple Payne ( mid-1760's-1795 ), Isaac Payne ( mid-1760's-1795 ), Lucy Payne Washington Todd ( 1777-1846 ), Anna Payne Cutts ( 1779-1832 ), Mary " Polly " Payne Jackson ( 1781-1808 ), John C. Payne ( born in 1782, death date unknown ). Her sister Lucy was first married to George Steptoe Washington, the nephew of the first President, and married secondly, Thomas Todd, a U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice. Her sister Mary was married to John George Jackson, U.S. Congressman ( Virginia ). Her sister Anna was married to Richard Cutts, U.S. Congressman ( Massachusetts ).
Anna Payne Cutts, sister of Dolley Madison, and a congressional spouse in her own right was her closest confidante. (White House Historical Association)
Physical Appearance:
5' 6 1/2" tall, black hair, blue eyes
5' 6 1/2" tall, black hair, blue eyes
Religious Affiliation:
Born into the Quaker faith, but expelled after her marriage to non-Quaker James Madison; attended Episcopalian services, and was confirmed in that faith in 1845, July 15 at St. John's Church, Washington, D.C.
Born into the Quaker faith, but expelled after her marriage to non-Quaker James Madison; attended Episcopalian services, and was confirmed in that faith in 1845, July 15 at St. John's Church, Washington, D.C.
Education:
Dolley Payne Todd in the traditional garb of the Quaker faith. (Library of Congress)
No record exists of any formal education; although Philadelphia's Pine Street Meeting, to which the Paynes belonged, did offer class instructions for girls as well as boys, Dolley Payne was 15 years old at the time she moved to Philadelphia and was past the usual age for school.
Occupation before Marriage: There is no indication that Dolley Payne worked in her father's starch business or other occupation.
Marriage:
First:
21 years old, married 1790, January 7 at Pine Street Meeting House, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to John Todd, lawyer ( 1763-1793 ); they lived in a modest three-story brick house at the corner of Fourth and Walnut Streets; Todd died in a yellow fever epidemic, 1793, October 14
First:
21 years old, married 1790, January 7 at Pine Street Meeting House, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to John Todd, lawyer ( 1763-1793 ); they lived in a modest three-story brick house at the corner of Fourth and Walnut Streets; Todd died in a yellow fever epidemic, 1793, October 14
The Todd House, where Dolley Madison lived with her first husband and their two sons. (IndependenceHistorical Park, National Park Service)
Second:
26 years old, married 1794, September 15, "Harewood" estate, Charles Town, West Virginia to James Madison ( 1751-1836 ), planter, U.S. Congressman ( Virginia ); following their wedding, lived in Madison's elegant three-story Spruce Streetbrick house until his retirement in 1797, when they moved to the Madison family plantation, "Montpelier," in Orange, Virginia.
26 years old, married 1794, September 15, "Harewood" estate, Charles Town, West Virginia to James Madison ( 1751-1836 ), planter, U.S. Congressman ( Virginia ); following their wedding, lived in Madison's elegant three-story Spruce Streetbrick house until his retirement in 1797, when they moved to the Madison family plantation, "Montpelier," in Orange, Virginia.
Children:
By First Marriage:
Two sons; John Payne Todd, ( 1792-1852 ), William Isaac Todd, ( 1793 ), died at three months old, the same day as his father.
By First Marriage:
Two sons; John Payne Todd, ( 1792-1852 ), William Isaac Todd, ( 1793 ), died at three months old, the same day as his father.
Her surviving son, always known by the name of Payne, would come to live with his mother and her second husband, James Madison at his plantation home in Orange, Virginia, “ Montpelier. ” During the presidential years, he would be placed in the nearby St. John’s College, in Maryland but failed as a student.
In an attempt to give Payne a sense of purpose, his step-father sent him as part of the American diplomatic mission which negotiated the Treaty of Ghent and ended the War of 1812. However, he left the delegation and made his way across Europe, beginning a lifelong addiction to gambling and alcohol.
Payne Todd. (Metropolitan Museum of Art)
While James Madison was alive, he kept from Dolley Madison the huge debts run up by her son. After she was widowed, however, Dolley Madison was confronted with the financial ruin created by her son, eventually sending her to the brink of poverty.
By Second Marriage:
None
None
Occupation after Marriage:
Although she assumed the traditional role of wife and housekeeper following her first marriage, Dolley Todd also had the assistance of her younger sister Anna, who lived with her and there is a suggestion that she was of help to John Todd in his legal work. Following her second marriage and then her 1797 move to Madison's Virginia estate, Dolley Madison assumed not only household management of the plantation and slaves, but also cared for her elderly mother-in-law who lived there.
Although she assumed the traditional role of wife and housekeeper following her first marriage, Dolley Todd also had the assistance of her younger sister Anna, who lived with her and there is a suggestion that she was of help to John Todd in his legal work. Following her second marriage and then her 1797 move to Madison's Virginia estate, Dolley Madison assumed not only household management of the plantation and slaves, but also cared for her elderly mother-in-law who lived there.
James Madison served as Secretary of State in the Administration of his friend, President Thomas Jefferson, from 1801 to 1809, and the Madisons moved to Washington, D.C.
At those receptions and dinners which the widowed President felt necessitated a female co-host, he asked Dolley Madison to aide him. While she was not a presidential wife or in any way given an official designation, her exposure to the political and diplomatic figures who were guests of the President, as well as to the general public who came to meet him, provided her with a lengthy experience as a White House hostess. Notably, she also took a large public role in the fundraising effort that supported the exploration of the Louisiana Territory by explorers Lewis and Clark. These eight years of fore-knowledge and opportunity to consciously create her own public persona were the crucial factor that enabled her to shape what was only a marital relationship to the President into a genuine public role that was soon called "Presidentress" by some chroniclers.
Presidential Campaign and Inauguration:
Dolley Madison's popularity as a hostess in Washington added greatly to the recognition of her husband by those members of Congress whose electoral votes then chose the winner of presidential races. During the 1808 election, however, there was an attempt by Federalist newspapers in Baltimore and Boston that implied Mrs. Madison had been intimate with President Jefferson as a way of attacking her character. Her popularity prevailed during the 1812 election.
Dolley Madison's popularity as a hostess in Washington added greatly to the recognition of her husband by those members of Congress whose electoral votes then chose the winner of presidential races. During the 1808 election, however, there was an attempt by Federalist newspapers in Baltimore and Boston that implied Mrs. Madison had been intimate with President Jefferson as a way of attacking her character. Her popularity prevailed during the 1812 election.
The pale-yellow gown Dolley Madison may have worn to the first Inaugural Ball. (Smithsonian)
In preparation for the inaugural ceremonies of James Madison on March 4, 1809, Captain Tom Tingey, commandant of the Washington Navy Yard, had requested Dolley Madison's permission and sponsorship of a dance and dinner, and she readily agreed; thus, the first presidential " inaugural ball " took place that evening. Held at Long's Hotel, on Capitol Hill, there were four hundred guests in attendance. The event began at 7 p.m., opening with the playing of " Jefferson's March, " followed by the entrance of the former President. Next, " Madison's March, " was played and the new president and his wife entered. Dressed in a buff-colored velvet gown, wearing pearls and large plumes in a turban, Mrs. Madison made a dramatic impression.
Although she did not join in the dancing, her sister Anna Cutts " opened " that portion of the program. A formal dinner followed, and Dolley Madison took her place at the crescent-shaped table, seated between the French Minister, General Louis-Marie Turreau de Garambouville and the British Minister, David Montagu Erskine.
First Lady:
1809, March 4 - 1817, March 3
40 years old
With more conscious effort than either of her two predecessors and with an enthusiasm for public life that neither of them had, Dolley Madison forged the highly public role as a President's wife, believing that the citizenry was her constituency as well as that of her husband's. This would establish her as the standard against which all her successors would be held, well into the mid-20th century. This persona was specifically created to serve the political fortunes of not only the President but also of the United States. She would steer conversation with political figures, including their spouses, in a way that revealed their positions on issues facing the Madison Administration, or sought to convince them to consider the viewpoint of her husband.
Dolley Madison in her ubiquitous turban and low-cut dress. (New York Historical Society)
She fortified her role of hostess by the visual effect of both the executive mansion and her own person, redecorating the public rooms in a style grand enough to impress foreign diplomats and dressing in a regal, yet simple manner. She used her clothing style to make herself visibly distinct and define her own public identity, most notably by her trademark turban.
Her ebullient personality, although often masking deep-seated worry, had the effect of relaxing her guests, regardless of their political views. Dolley Madison also exercised political influence by utilizing all the acceptable forms of behavior for women at the time, through correspondence, entertaining and cultivating personal alliances with the spouses of important political figures. On numerous occasions, she sought to place supporters, friends and family members into official government positions.
Dolley Madison was the first First Lady to formally associate herself with a specific public project; as a fundraiser, supporter and board member, she helped to found a Washington, D.C.home for young orphaned girls. She also befriended nuns from a local Catholic school and began a lifelong association with the organization.
To a degree larger than even Martha Washington, with whom the public had been familiar since the American Revolution Dolley Madison became a genuinely public celebrity. She was often referred to as “ Lady Madison, ” honored by having a ship named for her, being solicited by authors to help promote new books, and even depicted on a magazine cover.
Dolley Madison was the first First Lady depicted on the cover of a magazine, the Port Folio, published in Philadelphia. (carlanthonyonline.com)
Her legend was made lasting, however, by her conscious act of symbolic patriotism in the hours preceding the burning of Washington by British troops during the War of 1812. She famously refused to leave the White House before being assured that the large portrait of George Washington was removed from the walls and taken safely away from potential destruction or defacing by the encroaching enemy.
A mural showing Dolley-Madison as she directed the rescue of the George Washington portrait before the British burned the White House. (Montpelier)
Undocumented legend contends that Dolley Madison sponsored an egg-rolling contest for children on or near the lawn of the nearly-completed Capitol Building, although it was at the time not yet landscaped.
Another claim, which has persisted, but for which there is no documentation, credits Dolley Madison with convincing the President to permit Washingtonian Francis Scott Key to board a truce ship in an effort to seek the freedom of a captured friend. Moreover, that when he did so, he witnessed the firing on Fort McHenry and wrote the poem which became the Star Spangled Banner.
A 19th-century drawing of Dolley Madison rescuing one of the numerous state papers which some believe she saved before the British burned the White House. (carlanthonyonline.com)
Finally, there is the suggestion that it was Dolley Madison who urged both the President and Congress to keep Washington as the capitol city, rather than permit it to be returned to Philadelphia. Contemporary accounts do record her rage at the British for burning her favorite city and she did resume her entertaining as a symbol of rebirth in Washington, in the two buildings that she and the President occupied in the capital for the duration of his Administration.
George Munger's painting of the burned President's House a year after the fire.. (White House Historical Association)
Dolley Madison is also widely credited, largely through legend, for popularizing the dessert of ice cream. It is established that she was unlikely the first to serve it at the White House. The Library of Congress, among other sources, however, retains a copy of Thomas Jefferson’s own recipe for ice cream. It was also known to be served by George and Martha Washington at Mount Vernon. However, there is at least one report of her serving a “ pink dome ” of ice cream in public to guests.
Among Madison china items is this ice cream receptacle. (The White House)
Post-Presidential Life:
While it was with great regret that Dolley Madison left Washington, D.C. she was also eager to enjoy the company of her beloved husband at his Virginia plantation, Montpelier.
While it was with great regret that Dolley Madison left Washington, D.C. she was also eager to enjoy the company of her beloved husband at his Virginia plantation, Montpelier.
Mrs. Madison at the end of her White House tenure. (VirginiaHistorical Society)
At Montpelier, Dolley Madison took an increased role as the predominant family member, caring for her increasingly infirm husband, while managing household improvements, the cultivation of foods by enslaved people which made the plantations self-sufficient and welcoming both distinguished visitors and strangers who called there.
The Madison estate Montpelier. (National Trust for Historic Preservation)
During their post-presidential years, she also aided her husband in the organization and preparation for public release of the papers he used in drafting the U.S. Constitution. Following his 1836 death and the increasing burden of vast debt accumulated by her irresponsible son, she was forced to sell their Virginia properties, including the Madison plantation Montpelier. In 1844, she returned permanently to Washington, D.C., living across from the White House in a row house owned by her former husband. Her near-poverty was alleviated only when Congress agreed to purchase part of her husband's papers.
Dolley Madison’s Washington home, just across Lafayette Square from the White House. (Wikipedia)
She was also awarded an honorary seat in Congress, permitting her to watch congressional debates from the floor, where members sat at their desks. She was, in addition, the first private citizen to transmit a message via telegraph, an honor given her by its inventor Samuel F. B. Morse.
A former First Lady at the time, Dolley Madison was the chronologically-earliest to be photographed. (Greensboro Historical Museum)
Even as a former First Lady, Dolley Madison continued to influence the evolving public role played by a presidential wife or official hostess. Incumbent First Ladies Julia Tyler and Sarah Polk, as well as the hostess for the invalid first Mrs. Tyler, her daughter-in-law Priscilla Cooper Tyler, all drew upon Mrs. Madison's advice on how to conduct their public role. Her last public appearance was on the arm of President James K. Polk at his last White House reception.
In this first image of multiple First Ladies, Dolley Madison is at far right, incumbent President James Polk and First Lady Sarah Polk at center, and future President James Buchanan at far left, next to his niece and future First Lady Harriet Lane. (Eastman House)
It was she who introduced Angelica Singleton, the daughter of a maternal first cousin, Rebecca Coles, to Abraham Van Buren, the son of widower President Martin Van Buren. The younger cousin thus became the First Lady for the Van Buren Administration. She maintained a close personal friendship with former First Lady Louisa Adams, also then living in Washington.
As one who knew personally figures like Washington and Jefferson, Dolley Madison became a symbol of the Founding Era as the nation moved into the antebellum period. She would often be called on to recollect the lives of the founders and her personal collection of portraits, autograph letters, and other associated objects became something of a private museum. She was also nevertheless insistent on having her own role during the War of 1812 remembered.
Years after the fact, Dolley Madison wrote a copy of what she claimed to be her original 1814 letter to her sister describing the burning of the White House. (Library of Congress)
Only in the latter 20th century would questions be raised about the validity of her specific account of how the Washington portrait was saved. The original letter in which she claimed to write her sister a detailed telling of her patriotic acts as they were unfolding in 1814 was somehow lost. It was her effort to reconstruct her alleged recollections some three decades later after the fact which remains the primary basis for the claim.
Death:
Her home, Washington, D.C.
1849, July 12
81 years old
Her home, Washington, D.C.
1849, July 12
81 years old
Dolley Madison's obituary signified the important symbol of the Founding Era she had become. (carlanthonyonline.com)
ALSO, SEE BELOW
DOLLY MADSON
Burial:
Initially buried in the Congressional Cemetery, Washington, D.C., later re-interred at Montpelier estate, Orange, Virginia
Initially buried in the Congressional Cemetery, Washington, D.C., later re-interred at Montpelier estate, Orange, Virginia
*According to legend, it was at Dolley Madison's funeral that incumbent President Zachary Taylor eulogized her as "First Lady," perhaps thus being the first known use of the title in connection with a president's wife. No record of his eulogy is extant.
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