- Fourth President (1809-1817)
- Birthday: March 16, 1751 (Tuesday)
- Birthplace: Port Conway, Virginia
- Zodiac Sign: Pisces
- Date of Death: June 28, 1836 (Tuesday)
- Place of Death: Orange, Virginia
- Place of Burial: Montpelier, Orange, Virginia
- Cause of Death: Heart failure
- Age: 85 years old
- Length of Retirement: 7056 days
- Religion: Diest, Episcopalian
- Party: Democratic-Republican
James Madison Offices Held
- Secretary of State (1801-1809)
- US House of Representatives from Virginia (1793-1797)
- Delegate to the Congress of Confederation from Virginia (1781-1783)
James Madison Nicknames
- Father of the Constitution
- His Little Majesty
- Little Jemmy
- Sage of Montpelier
James Madison Pets
- Parrot
- Sheep
James Madison Personal Traits
- Height: 5 feet – 4 inches
James Madison Quotes
The circulation of confidence is better than the circulation of money.
If men were angels, no government would be necessary.
History records that the money changers have used every form of abuse, intrigue, deceit, and violent means possible to maintain their control over government by controlling the money and its issuance.
No nation could preserve its freedom in the midst of continual warfare.
All men having power ought to be distrusted to a certain degree.
The class of citizens who provide at once their own food and their own raiment, may be viewed as the most truly independent and happy.
Americans have the right and advantage of being armed – unlike the citizens of other countries whose governments are afraid to trust the people with arms.
Liberty may be endangered by the abuse of liberty, but also by the abuse of power.
In Republics, the great danger is, that the majority may not sufficiently respect the rights of the minority.
The powers delegated by the Constitution to the federal government are few and defined. Those which are to remain in the State governments are numerous and indefinite. The former will be exercised principally on external objects, as war, peace, negotiations, and foreign commerce.
Where an excess of power prevails, property of no sort is duly respected. No man is safe in his opinions, his person, his faculties, or his possessions.
The purpose of separation of church and state is to keep forever from these shores the ceaseless strife that has soaked the soil of Europe with blood for centuries.
James Madison Timeline – Family
- March 27, 1723 James Madison Sr. (Father) born in Orange County, Virginia.
- January 9, 1731 Eleanor “Nelly” Rose Conway Madison (Mother) born in Port Conway, Virginia.
- September 15, 1749 James Madison Sr. (Father) marries Eleanor “Nelly” Rose Conway (Mother).
- March 16, 1751 James Madison born in Port Conway, Virginia.
- June 18, 1753 Francis Taylor Madison (Sister) born in Montpelier, Virginia.
- January 27, 1755 Ambrose Madison Lee (Sister) born in Montpelier, Virginia.
- February 10, 1758 Robert Cole Catlett Madison (Brother) born in Orange County, Virginia.
- March 18, 1758 Robert Cole Catlett Madison (Brother) dies in Orange County, Virginia.
- February 14, 1760 Eleanor “Nelly” Conway Madison Hite (Sister) born in Montpelier, Virginia.
- May 5, 1762 William Taylor Madison (Brother) born in Montpelier, Virginia.
- August 17, 1764 Sarah Catlett Madison (Sister) born in Montpelier, Virginia.
- 1766 Unnamed Child (Brother or Sister?) born and dies.
- February 6, 1768 Elizabeth Madison (Sister) born in Montpelier, Virginia.
- May 20, 1768 Dolley Payne Todd Madison (Wife) born in Guilford County, Province of North Carolina.
- 1770 Unnamed Child (Brother or Sister?) born and dies.
- September 19, 1771 Reuben Madison (Brother) born in Montpelier, Virginia.
- October 4, 1774 Frances Taylor Madison (Sister) born in Orange County, Virginia.
- May 1775 Elizabeth Madison (Sister) dies in Orange County, Virginia.
- May 17, 1775 Reuben Madison (Brother) dies in Orange County, Virginia.
- January 1790 Dolley Payne (Wife) marries her first husband John Todd.
- February 29, 1792 John Payne Todd (Step-Son) born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
- October 1793 Ambrose Madison Lee (Sister) dies in Orange County, Virginia.
- October 24, 1793 John Todd (Dolley’s {Wife} first husband) dies.
- September 15, 1794 James Madison marries Dolley Payne Todd.
- 1800 Francis Taylor Madison (Sister) dies in Orange County, Virginia.
- February 27, 1801 James Madison Sr. (Father) dies in Montpelier, Virginia.
- December 24, 1802 Eleanor “Nelly” Conway Madison Hite (Sister) dies in Warren, Virginia.
- October 1823 Frances Taylor Madison (Sister) dies in Orange County, Virginia.
- February 11, 1829 Eleanor “Nelly” Rose Conway Madison (Mother) dies in Montpelier, Virginia.
- June 28, 1836 James Madison dies in Montpelier, Virginia.
- July 20, 1843 William Taylor Madison (Brother) dies in Montpelier, Virginia.
- October 17, 1843 Sarah Catlett Madison (Sister) dies in Greenwood, Virginia.
- July 12, 1849 Dolley Payne Todd Madison (Wife) dies in Washington DC.
- January 16, 1852 John Payne Todd (Step-Son) dies in Washington DC.
James Madison Links
James Madison’s Birthplace
James Madison’s Home
James Madison’s Grave
James Madison on Wikipedia
James Madison University
James Madison Blogs
Let Freedom Ring - Often, we take freedom for granted or we expect freedom to be defined by our definition. When our name becomes more important than the cause, problems result. Washington's Farewell Address is a perfect example of this. 
James Madison’s Grave - How can you lose the body of a President? How can the Bible save heroes who are so despised? When responsibility calls, are you willing to reverse roles? 
Presidential Statues – Washington through Grant - Here are some of the statues I have visited of Presidents Washington through Grant. 
Fun Presidential Facts – James Madison - Here are some fun facts and personal opinions about President James Madison 
James Madison – His Wife Dolley Madison - "And it came to pass, when they had brought them forth abroad, that he said, Escape for thy life; look not behind thee, neither stay thou in all the plain; escape to the mountain, lest thou be consumed.” Genesis 19:17 KJV Why did her brother-in-law take everything from her and why in the world did her church abandon her when she found love outside her faith? Why did some other king have to conquer his land and take away his dream? Why did I have to become a plumber? 
James Madison – His Death - "Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves.” Philippians 2:3 KJV Those brown eyes no longer floated in a sea of ivory. No, they drifted aimlessly, as though seeking help, in a bath of crimson. He knew the America he had worked so hard to form was not about its history, but it was about its future. He had to be very hungry and the devil knew it. “It’s easy to make that hunger go away,” the devil would tell him. 
List: What similiar trait do I have with the first ten Presidents - Washington, Adams, Jefferson, Madison, Monroe, JQ Adams, Jackson, Van Buren, WH Harrison, and John Tyler. Those are the first ten Presidents. A list of how I think I am like them. 
James Madison – His Step-Son - “For this God is our God for ever and ever: he will be our guide even unto death.” Psalm 48:14 KJV Life isn’t about the end; it is about what we do with each and every day we are given. We would have to look in the back pages of his life to see the turmoil he really faced. 
James Madison – The War of 1812 - “And out of the ground made the Lord God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil.” Genesis 2:9 KJV That is a big bonus for someone like me, who likes to eat. Then he might have been able to finish his dinner. 
James Madison – The Father of the Constitution - "And they came unto the brook of Eshcol, and cut down from thence a branch with one cluster of grapes, and they bare it between two upon a staff; and they brought of the pomegranates, and of the figs….And they told him, and said, We came unto the land whither thou sentest us, and surely it floweth with milk and honey; and this is the fruit of it.” Numbers 13:23, 27 “At least it’s not an earthquake.” Our efforts to form a nation were really quite trying.