James Madison
At a Glance
Term: 4th President of the United States (1809-1817)
Born: March 16, 1751, Port Conway, Virginia
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: Lawyer
Political Party: Democratic-Republican
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.
Died: June 28, 1836, Montpelier, Orange County, Virginia
Buried: Montpelier, Virginia (family plot)
A 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 revolutionary Virginia Convention, where he worked closely with Thomas Jefferson to push through religious freedom statutes, among other liberal measures. More....
Essays on James Madison and His Administration
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)
Presidential Speeches
Below are selections from the Miller Center's James Madison speech collection. To view the Miller Center's other speeches by James Madison or by another President, please click the link below.
March 4, 1809 - Inaugural Address
June 1, 1812 - Special Message to Congress on the Foreign Policy Crisis - War Message
March 3, 1817 - Veto Message on the Internal Improvements Bill
Miller Center Scholarship and Speakers
The Miller Center of Public Affairs is a national nonpartisan center to research, reflect, and report on American government, with special attention to the central role and history of the presidency. Below is a selection of Miller Center resources on James Madison.
Listen to Historians Merrill Peterson, Robert Rutland, William Harbaugh, and Norman Graebner’s 1980 presentation at the Miller Center on Presidents Jefferson, Madison, Polk, and Theodore Roosevelt.
President James Madison led the country as Commander in Chief during the War of 1812. Click here to learn more about the Miller Center's National War Powers Commission.
Click here to learn more about the Center’s National Commission on the Selection of Federal Judges and its relationship to Madison.
Scripps Library Reference Resources
Below are links to reference resources prepared by the Miller Center's Scripps Library that are designed to help students and scholars quickly conduct their research.