James+Madison


 * [[image:aa_madison_subj_m.jpg align="left"]]Born:** March 16, 1751 (March 5, Old Style), in Port Conway, Virginia
 * Died:** June 28, 1836, in Montpelier, Virginia

James Madison, the fourth president of the United States (1809-1817), is recognized as the "Father of the Constitution." He helped craft the original document and co-wrote the Federalist Papers, which helped get the Constitution approved by the states. We also have him to thank for the Bill of Rights, the Constitution's first 10 amendments, which guarantee our freedoms to this day. Madison was a shy man who married the very outgoing Dolley Payne Todd. During the War of 1812, first lady Dolley Madison saved many White House artifacts and her husband narrowly escaped death when the British burned Washington.