James Madison

James Madison
4th President of the United States
In office March 4, 1809 – March 4, 1817
Vice President	George Clinton Elbridge Gerry
Preceded by	Thomas Jefferson
Succeeded by	James Monroe
5th United States Secretary of State
In office May 2, 1801 – March 3, 1809
President	Thomas Jefferson
Preceded by	John Marshall
Succeeded by	Robert Smith
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Virginia's 15th district
In office March 4, 1793 – March 3, 1797
Preceded by	Constituency established
Succeeded by	John Dawson
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Virginia's 5th district
In office March 4, 1789 – March 3, 1793
Preceded by	Constituency established
Succeeded by	George Hancock
Born	March 16, 1751(1751-03-16) Port Conway, Virginia Colony
Died	June 28, 1836(1836-06-28) (aged 85) Montpelier, Virginia, U.S.
Political party	Democratic-Republican Party
Spouse(s)	Dolley Todd
Children	John (Stepson)
Alma mater	Princeton University
Profession	Planter
Signature

James Madison, Jr. (16 March [O.S. 5 March] 1751–28 June 1836) was an American statesman and political theorist. He was the fourth President of the United States (1809–1817) and is hailed as the “Father of the Constitution” for being the primary author of the United States Constitution and the author of the United States Bill of Rights.

Along with Alexander Hamilton and John Jay, he is one of the authors of the Federalist Papers (1788), which became the most influential explanation and defense of the Constitution after its publication. Madison's most distinctive belief as a political theorist was the principle of divided power. Madison believed that "parchment barriers" were not sufficient to protect the rights of citizens. Power must be divided, both between federal and state governments (federalism), and within the federal government (checks and balances) to protect individual rights from the tyranny of the majority.

External links

• James Madison at Wikipedia
• James Madison at Wikibéral (French; see translation)