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James Madison

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James Madison Famous memorial Veteran

Birth
Port Conway, King George County, Virginia, USA
Death
28 Jun 1836 (aged 85)
Montpelier Station, Orange County, Virginia, USA
Burial
Montpelier Station, Orange County, Virginia, USA GPS-Latitude: 38.217887, Longitude: -78.174855
Memorial ID
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4th United States President. He was the co-author of the Federalist Papers and Father of the American Constitution. He was born in Port Conway, Virginia, on a plantation to a wealthy father and a mother who was the daughter of a rich tobacco merchant. He was sickly, suffering from seizures which would plague him throughout his life. James Madison married widow Dorothea "Dolley" Dandridge (Payne) Todd in 1794. Madison was chief executive throughout the War of 1812, although he displayed little understanding of military matters. His administration gave the country a new identity with an upsurge of nationalism, the Star Spangled Banner; the slogans "Don't give up the ship," "Free Trade and Sailor's Rights; historic events such as Commodore Perry's victory on Lake Erie, and Andrew Jackson and Battle of New Orleans; and the ship, the USS Constitution with its many victories. She was dubbed "Old Ironsides," is preserved as a national treasure, and can be seen today at Pier 1 of the former Charlestown Navy Yard at one end of Boston's Freedom Trail. It was on Madison's watch that the British burned the public buildings of Washington, D.C. He was influenced by his Secretary of War who insisted Washington was not a target of the British. The aging President died quietly at breakfast in his room where he was confined for chronic rheumatism and liver dysfunction at the age of eighty-five. A small gathering of slaves, and family friends witnessed his burial the next day at the family cemetery located on the estate. Many physical legacy reminders remain today: The little farmhouse where he was born, long since razed, has only an historic marker to indicate the spot. It is near the large plantation mansion "Montpelier," the lifelong home of James Madison as well as three generations of the family. The mansion's core was constructed by his father. Today, the property is owned and exhibited by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. The Octagon Home in Washington, D.C., located a few blocks from the White House, was the Madisons' temporary home after the burning of the White House. President Madison signed the Treaty of Ghent in the upstairs parlor which declared England and America at peace. The James Madison Museum is located in Orange, Virginia, and contains the nation's best collection of Madison artifacts. The Madison Family Cemetery is stunning as well as historic. It is surrounded by a brick wall with an iron gate, simply marked "Madison." It is accessible by a dirt road, very isolated, and not much changed from the days of the President. It not only is the final resting place of the last founding father who formulated the Constitution, but also of Dolley who was returned in death penniless after a massive state funeral in Washington, D.C. This is the place where John Quincy Adams came to deliver a public oration lauding the man for his service to the fledgling nation.
4th United States President. He was the co-author of the Federalist Papers and Father of the American Constitution. He was born in Port Conway, Virginia, on a plantation to a wealthy father and a mother who was the daughter of a rich tobacco merchant. He was sickly, suffering from seizures which would plague him throughout his life. James Madison married widow Dorothea "Dolley" Dandridge (Payne) Todd in 1794. Madison was chief executive throughout the War of 1812, although he displayed little understanding of military matters. His administration gave the country a new identity with an upsurge of nationalism, the Star Spangled Banner; the slogans "Don't give up the ship," "Free Trade and Sailor's Rights; historic events such as Commodore Perry's victory on Lake Erie, and Andrew Jackson and Battle of New Orleans; and the ship, the USS Constitution with its many victories. She was dubbed "Old Ironsides," is preserved as a national treasure, and can be seen today at Pier 1 of the former Charlestown Navy Yard at one end of Boston's Freedom Trail. It was on Madison's watch that the British burned the public buildings of Washington, D.C. He was influenced by his Secretary of War who insisted Washington was not a target of the British. The aging President died quietly at breakfast in his room where he was confined for chronic rheumatism and liver dysfunction at the age of eighty-five. A small gathering of slaves, and family friends witnessed his burial the next day at the family cemetery located on the estate. Many physical legacy reminders remain today: The little farmhouse where he was born, long since razed, has only an historic marker to indicate the spot. It is near the large plantation mansion "Montpelier," the lifelong home of James Madison as well as three generations of the family. The mansion's core was constructed by his father. Today, the property is owned and exhibited by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. The Octagon Home in Washington, D.C., located a few blocks from the White House, was the Madisons' temporary home after the burning of the White House. President Madison signed the Treaty of Ghent in the upstairs parlor which declared England and America at peace. The James Madison Museum is located in Orange, Virginia, and contains the nation's best collection of Madison artifacts. The Madison Family Cemetery is stunning as well as historic. It is surrounded by a brick wall with an iron gate, simply marked "Madison." It is accessible by a dirt road, very isolated, and not much changed from the days of the President. It not only is the final resting place of the last founding father who formulated the Constitution, but also of Dolley who was returned in death penniless after a massive state funeral in Washington, D.C. This is the place where John Quincy Adams came to deliver a public oration lauding the man for his service to the fledgling nation.

Bio by: Donald Greyfield


Inscription

MADISON
BORN MARCH 16TH 1751
DIED JUNE 28TH 1836



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  • Maintained by: Find a Grave
  • Added: Apr 25, 1998
  • Find a Grave Memorial ID:
  • Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/661/james-madison: accessed ), memorial page for James Madison (16 Mar 1751–28 Jun 1836), Find a Grave Memorial ID 661, citing Madison Family Cemetery at Montpelier, Montpelier Station, Orange County, Virginia, USA; Maintained by Find a Grave.