James Madison

 

James Madison, the fourth president of the United States (1809-1817), is recognized as the "Father of the Constitution." He helped craft the original document and co-wrote the Federalist Papers, which helped get the Constitution approved by the states. We also have him to thank for the Bill of Rights, the Constitution's first 10 amendments, which guarantee our freedoms to this day. Madison was a shy man who married the very outgoing Dolley Payne Todd. During the War of 1812, first lady Dolley Madison saved many White House artifacts and her husband narrowly escaped death when the British burned Washington.
 

  

DOLLEY MADISON
 

Some people were surprised when James Madison married Dolley Payne Todd (1768-1849) on September 15, 1794. She was a spirited, charming, sociable 26-year-old widow and mother of a young son (her first husband and younger child died in the 1793 yellow fever epidemic). Dolley was 17 years younger than Madison, and they had no children together. She had been a Quaker but was disowned by the Society of Friends (Quakers) for marrying outside her faith: Madison was an Episcopalian.
 

Dolley had a very outgoing personality (she was known to wear turbans!) and Madison was small and shy, but they had a wonderful relationship. For how many years was Dolley Madison the first lady?
 

Dolley Madison was officially first lady during her husband's two terms as president, from 1809 to 1817. But she also often served as Thomas Jefferson's official White House "hostess" during his presidency from 1801 to 1809 (while her husband served as Jefferson's secretary of state) because Jefferson's wife had died. When she became first lady, she worked with the architect Benjamin Latrobe to furnish and decorate the presidential residence elegantly and she entertained frequently.
 

Dolley hosted official engagements as well as weekly "drawing rooms" for the public, drawing a true cross section of society to the White House. This made her very popular with the American people. What did Dolley do during the War of 1812 that added to her popularity?
 

In August 1814, when the British captured Washington and stormed the White House during the War of 1812, Dolley grabbed the Gilbert Stuart portrait of George Washington (seen here) and got out just in time. Her rescuing Washington's portrait and organizing the removal of other important artifacts made Dolley even more popular with the American public and confirmed the role of first lady as the guardian of the "people's house." Dolley was politically skilled; she visited the home of every new senator and representative upon his arrival in Washington. When she died in 1849, everyone from President Zachary Taylor to members of Congress and diplomats attended her funeral.