Fourth President of the United States

James Madison
James Madison by John Vanderlyn, 1816
4th President of the United States
In office March 4, 1809 – March 4, 1817
Vice President	George Clinton (1809–1812) None (1812–1813) Elbridge Gerry (1813–1814) None (1814–1817)
Preceded by	Thomas Jefferson
Succeeded by	James Monroe
5th United States Secretary of State
In office May 2, 1801 – March 3, 1809
President	Thomas Jefferson
Preceded by	John Marshall
Succeeded by	Robert Smith
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Virginia's 15th district
In office March 4, 1793 – March 4, 1797
Preceded by	Constituency established
Succeeded by	John Dawson
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Virginia's 5th district
In office March 4, 1789 – March 4, 1793
Preceded by	Constituency established
Succeeded by	George Hancock
Delegate to the Congress of the Confederation from Virginia
In office November 6, 1786 – October 30, 1787
In office March 1, 1781 – November 1, 1783
Personal details
Born	(1751-03-16)March 16, 1751 Port Conway, Colony of Virginia, British America
Died	June 28, 1836(1836-06-28) (aged 85) Orange, Virginia, U.S.
Resting place	Montpelier, Orange, Virginia
Political party	Democratic-Republican (founder 1791)
Height	5 ft 4 in (163 cm)
Spouse(s)	Dolley Payne Todd (m. 1794)
Children	John (stepson)
Parents	James Madison, Sr. Nelly Conway Madison
Alma mater	Princeton
Signature
Military service
Allegiance	Colony of Virginia
Service/branch	Virginia militia
Years of service	1775
Rank	Colonel

External video

Booknotes interview with Lance Banning on The Sacred Fire of Liberty: James Madison and the Founding of the Federal Republic, February 11, 1996, C-SPAN

James Madison Jr. (March 16, 1751 – June 28, 1836) was an American statesman and Founding Father who served as the fourth President of the United States from 1809 to 1817. He is hailed as the "Father of the Constitution" for his pivotal role in drafting and promoting the United States Constitution and the Bill of Rights.

Born into a prominent Virginia planting family, Madison served as a member of the Virginia House of Delegates and the Continental Congress during and after the American Revolutionary War. In the late 1780s, he helped organize the Constitutional Convention, which produced a new constitution to supplant the ineffective Articles of Confederation. After the Convention, Madison became one of the leaders in the movement to ratify the Constitution, and his collaboration with Alexander Hamilton produced The Federalist Papers, among the most important treatises in support of the Constitution.

After the ratification of the Constitution in 1788, Madison won election to the United States House of Representatives. While simultaneously serving as a close adviser to President George Washington, Madison emerged as one of the most prominent members of the 1st Congress, helping to pass several bills establishing the new government. For his role in drafting the first ten amendments to the Constitution during the 1st Congress, Madison is known as the "Father of the Bill of Rights." Though he had played a major role in the enactment of a new constitution that created a stronger federal government, Madison opposed the centralization of power sought by Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton during Washington's presidency. To oppose Hamilton, Thomas Jefferson and Madison organized the Democratic-Republican Party, which became one of the nation's two first major political parties alongside Hamilton's Federalist Party. After Jefferson won the 1800 presidential election, Madison served as Jefferson's Secretary of State from 1801 to 1809. In this role, Madison supervised the Louisiana Purchase, which doubled the nation's size.