James Madison, Jr.
From Casa de Blundell
President James Madison, Jr. (1751 - 1836)
The 4th President of the United States
Born: March 16, 1751 in Port Conway, Virginia, United States
Died: June 28, 1836 in Montpelier, Virginia, United States
Son of Eleanor and Col. James Madison
Husband of Dorothea Dandridge Payne Todd "Dolley" Madison
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[edit] Siblings
- Frances Madison
- Ambrose Madison
- Catlett Madison
- Nellie Conway Madison
- William Taylor Madison
- Sarah Madison
- Elizabeth Madison
- Reuben Madison
- Frances Taylor Madison
[edit] Occupation
Lawyer, State Legislator, Secretary of State, President of the United States
[edit] Additional info
ID: I08832 Name: James MADISON Sex: M Birth: 16 MAR 1750/51 in Port Conway, Prince George Co., VA Death: 28 JUN 1836 in "Montpelier", Orange Co., VA Reference Number: 984
Father: James MADISON b: 27 MAR 1723 in Port Conway, Prince George Co., VA Mother: Eleanor Rose CONWAY b: 9 JAN 1730/31 in Port Conway, Prince George Co., VA
Marriage 1 Dorothea PAYNE b: 20 MAY 1768
- Married: 15 SEP 1794 in "Harewood", Fayette Co., VA[1]
[edit] James Madison on Wikipedia
James Madison (March 16, 1751 – June 28, 1836), was an American politician and the fourth President of the United States (1809–1817), and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. Considered to be the "Father of the Constitution", he was the principal author of the document. In 1788, he wrote over a third of the Federalist Papers, still the most influential commentary on the Constitution. As a leader in the first Congresses, he drafted many basic laws and was responsible for the first ten amendments to the Constitution, and thus is also known as the "Father of the Bill of Rights".[1] As a political theorist, Madison's most distinctive belief was that the new republic needed checks and balances to limit the powers of special interests, which Madison called factions.[2] He believed very strongly that the new nation should fight against aristocracy and corruption and was deeply committed to creating mechanisms that would ensure republicanism in the United States.[3]
As leader in the House of Representatives, Madison worked closely with President George Washington to organize the new federal government. Breaking with Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton in 1791, Madison and Thomas Jefferson organized what they called the republican party (later called the Democratic-Republican Party)[4] in opposition to key policies of the Federalists, especially the national bank and the Jay Treaty. He secretly co-authored, along with Thomas Jefferson, the Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions in 1798 to protest the Alien and Sedition Laws.
As Jefferson's Secretary of State (1801-1809), Madison supervised the Louisiana Purchase, doubling the nation's size, and sponsored the ill-fated Embargo Act of 1807. As president, he led the nation into the War of 1812 against Great Britain in order to protect the United States' economic rights. That conflict began poorly as Americans suffered defeat after defeat by smaller forces, but ended on a high note in 1815, after which a new spirit of nationalism swept the country. During and after the war, Madison reversed many of his positions. By 1815, he supported the creation of the second National Bank, a strong military, and a high tariff to protect the new factories opened during the war.[2]
[edit] The Federalist Papers
To aid the push for ratification, Madison joined Alexander Hamilton and John Jay to write the The Federalist Papers. Among other contributions, Madison wrote paper #10, in which he explained how a large country with many different interests and factions could support republican values better than a small country dominated by a few special interests. His interpretation was largely ignored at the time, but in the 20th century became a central part of the pluralist interpretation of American politics.
Back in Virginia in 1788, Madison led the fight for ratification of the Constitution at the state's convention, oratorically dueling with Patrick Henry and others who sought revisions (such as the United States Bill of Rights) before its ratification. Madison is often referred to as the "Father of the Constitution" for his role in its drafting and ratification. However, he protested the title as being "a credit to which I have no claim... [The Constitution] was not, like the fabled Goddess of Wisdom, the offspring of a single brain. It ought to be regarded as the work of many heads and many hands".
He wrote Hamilton, at the New York ratifying convention, observing that his opinion was that "ratification was in toto and for ever". The Virginia convention had considered conditional ratification worse than a rejection.[3]
Madison wrote papers 10, 14, 18—20, 37—58, and 62—63 within The Federalist Papers.
[edit] Presidential Line of Succession
Constitutional concerns
Several constitutional law experts have raised questions as to the constitutionality of the provisions that the Speaker of the House and the President pro tempore of the Senate succeed to the Presidency. James Madison, Jr. one of the authors of the Constitution, raised similar constitutional questions about the Presidential Succession Act of 1792 in a 1792 letter to Edmund Pendleton.[4] Two of these issues can be summarized:
- The term "Officer" in the relevant clause of the Constitution is most plausibly interpreted to mean an "Officer of the United States," who must be a member of the Executive or Judicial Branch. The Speaker and the President pro tempore are not officers in this sense.
- Under the principle of separation of powers, the Constitution specifically disallows legislative officials from also serving in the executive branch. For the Speaker or the President pro tempore to become Acting President, they must resign their position, at which point they are no longer in the line of succession. This forms a constitutional paradox to some.[5]
[edit] Notes
[edit] Additional Resources
Full text of The Federalist Papers
