James Madison as Father of the Constitution

James Madison
Portrait by John Vanderlyn, 1816
4th President of the United States
In office March 4, 1809 – March 4, 1817
Vice President	George Clinton (1809–1812) None (1812–1813)[a] Elbridge Gerry (1813–1814) None (1814–1817)[a]
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
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Virginia
In office March 4, 1789 – March 4, 1797
Delegate from Virginia to the Congress of the Confederation
In office November 6, 1786 – October 30, 1787
In office March 1, 1781 – November 1, 1783
Personal details
Born	(1751-03-16)March 16, 1751 Port Conway, Virginia, British America
Died	June 28, 1836(1836-06-28) (aged 85) Montpelier, Virginia, U.S.
Political party	Democratic–Republican
Spouse	Dolley Todd ​ (m. 1794)​
Parents	James Madison Sr. Nelly Madison

This article is part of a series about James Madison
Personal Slavery Belle Grove Montpelier Pacificus-Helvidius Debates Father of the Constitution Virginia Constitution 1786 Annapolis Convention 1787 Constitutional Convention Virginia Plan Constitution of the United States Notes of Debates in the Federal Convention of 1787 Virginia Ratifying Convention United States Bill of Rights 27th amendment Constitution drafting and ratification timeline Tariff of 1789 The Federalist Papers 10 14 18 19 20 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 62 63 4th President of the United States Presidency Inaugurations first second Tenure Tecumseh's War Battle of Tippecanoe War of 1812 origins Henry letters Burning of Washington The Octagon House Treaty of Ghent Seven Buildings residence results Second Barbary War Era of Good Feelings Second Bank of the United States State of the Union Addresses 1810 1814 1815 1816 Cabinet Federal judiciary appointments Electoral history 1788–89 House of Representatives 1789 Virginia's 5th congressional district 1799 Virginia gubernatorial 1808 presidential 1812 presidential Legacy Memorials Museum Memorial Fellowship Foundation Center for Free Speech The Papers Bibliography Cognitive Madisonianism Madisonian model
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James Madison (March 16, 1751^[b] – June 28, 1836) was a Founding Father and the 4th president of the United States from 1809 to 1817. He is hailed as the "Father of the Constitution" for his pivotal role in drafting and promoting the Constitution of the United States and the Bill of Rights. Disillusioned by the weak national government established by the Articles of Confederation, he helped organize the Constitutional Convention, which produced a new constitution. Madison's Virginia Plan served as the basis for the Constitutional Convention's deliberations, and he was one of the most influential individuals at the convention. He became one of the leaders in the movement to ratify the Constitution, and he joined with Alexander Hamilton and John Jay in writing The Federalist Papers, a series of pro-ratification essays that was one of the most influential works of political science in American history.
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