JAMES MADISON
Madison, a 5 feet, 4 inch tall, about 100 pounds was born
on march 16, 1751 (March 5, 1750, old style) in the home of his maternal grandparents
at port Conway, King George County, Virginia. His father was James Madison sr
(1723-1801) a planter. His mother was Eleanor “Nelly” Rose Conway Madison
(1731-1829) born at Port Conway Virginia.
James Madison was the oldest of seven children to live to
maturity. He had three brothers and three sisters. Francis Madison, Ambrose
Madison, Nelly Hite, William Madison, Sarah Macon and Frances “Fanny” Rose.
Madison, at age 43, married Dolley Payne Todd, 26. She was a
widow with one son, on September 15, 1794 at Harewood, the estate of the
bride’s sister and brother-in-law, Lucy and George Steptoe Washington (nephew
of president Washington) in what is now Jefferson County, West Virginia. Madison
had no children.
James served in the military during the American
revolution. In October 1775. He was commissioned a colonel in the Orange County
Militia. He saw no action during his brief service. He had started his political
career in 1774 when he was elected to the county Committee of Safety. Which his
father chaired. Later he became a delegate to the Virginia convention (1776).
During his career he healed other political positions; member of the Virginia
House of Delegates (1776-1777), Member of the Council of State (1778-1779),
Member of the continental Congress (1780-1783), Member of the Virginia House of
Delegates (1784-1786), Delegate to Annapolis Convention (1786), Delegate of the
Constitutional Convention (1787, where he was named father of the US
Constitution). He distinguished him self for writing most of the constitutional
Document. He served as a US Representative from Virginia (1789-1797) where he
introduced the first 10 amendments to the constitution called “the bill of
rights”. Among his service I office he was appointed Secretary of State by
President Jefferson (18011-1809). Madison was nominated by the Republicans to
the Presidency in 1808.
He was elected president for his first term in 1808 with
George Clinton assigned Vice-president. Madison was reelected president in 1812
and Elbridge Gerry of Massachusetts was assigned vice-president.
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