James Madison, entered office at the age of 58 and served 2 terms: 1809-1817. Demo-Rep. He lived from 16 March 1751 till 28 June 1836 [aged 85 yrs – 19 yrs after office] Cause of death not yet found.
Madison was fond of being told how much he looked like George Washington, (maybe that explains the “stern” look in this painting) So much so that he even dressed like the iconic hero—long after silk stockings and pigtails had gone out of fashion.
James Madison is believed to be the only American president to actively participate in combat while holding office. He was President in 1814 when the British burned Washington DC to the ground during the War of 1812. He and his wife stayed in the city as long as they could, narrowly escaping with their lives, and he then took command of a small battalion of the Maryland National Guard near Bladensburg, MD, to exchange fire with the His Majesty’s Royal Marines before they were all forced to flee for safety. Yet his political opponents called him a coward for leaving the city alive.
Like Jefferson, his friend and predecessor, Madison was a student of political philosophy and among the Founding Fathers. Far more than just an “early president,” historians consider his chief political concern to be the organization of governmental power in such a way as to protect the individual from the “tyranny of the majority.” Thus he is considered the principal contributor to the Constitution as well as being remembered as the “Father of the Bill of Rights.”
In just another of history’s many ironies, Madison and Alexander Hamilton campaigned vigorously side-by-side for the adoption of the Constitution and later completely split up over Hamilton’s plan to form a centralized national bank. After the War of 1812, however, Madison supported the central bank in the hope of paying off war debt. By that time, however, Hamilton was dead.
