President: James Madison

Wife: Dolley Payne Todd (1768-1849), on September 15, 1794

Kids: None

Pets: Macaw the parrot; sheep

Bio: James Madison, (1751-1836),was the 4th President Of The United States. He was born at grandparents’ home in Port Conway, Virginia on March 16, 1751. He then lived his whole life in Orange county, Virginia on a 5,000-acre tobacco plantation with 100 slaves. He attended the College of New Jersey at Princeton., receiving his bachelor of arts degree in 1771.

Madison was elected to the Continental Congress in 1780, where he served for nearly four years. He was considered one of the "Founding Fathers" of The United States of America, as he worked diligently toward independence from Britain and was a staunch supporter of Jefferson. Named the "Father of the Constitution," he was a key developer of the Constitution and was a sponsor of the Bill of Rights.

After being appointed Secretary of State in Jefferson’s administration, Madison was very popular among the people and was easily elected as president in 1808. He was the fourth Virginian in a row to be elected president! Unfortunately, his administration faced many political difficulties. He appointed poorly qualified secretaries to the War and Navy departments, and a disloyal one to the State Department.

Although he tried to keep America from war, in November 1811, at the urging of many legislators, Madison asked for and received a declaration of war against Britain in June 1812. There were very difficult years ahead. He suffered a nearly fatal illness in June 1813. His armies were being defeated in many battles due to poor leadership, Then disaster struck when the British troops burned down the White House! By February 1815, however, America had prevailed in the war!

Retiring to his Virginia farm, Madison helped Jefferson found the University of Virginia and continued to advise Monroe on foreign policy. Madison's health slowly declined until he died on June 28, 1836. He was the last survivor of the founders of the American Republic.