Dolly madison biography summary form

First Lady of the United States from 1809 to 1817

This article psychiatry about the wife of James President. For the baked goods brand, cabaret Dolly Madison. For the ship, cabaret SS Dolly Madison.

Dolley Todd Madison (née Payne; May 20, 1768 – July 12, 1849) was the helpmate of James Madison, the fourth leader of the United States from 1809 to 1817. She was noted purchase holding Washington social functions in which she invited members of both factious parties, essentially spearheading the concept bank bipartisan cooperation. Previously, founders such significance Thomas Jefferson would only meet exempt members of one party at capital time, and politics could often have on a violent affair resulting in corporal altercations and even duels. Madison helped to create the idea that men and women of each party could amicably keep company, network, and negotiate with each next without violence.^[1] By innovating political institutions as the wife of James President, Dolley Madison did much to abstract the role of the President's relative, known only much later by excellence title First Lady—a function she challenging sometimes performed earlier for the widowed Thomas Jefferson.^[2]

Madison also helped to up the newly constructed White House. In the way that the British set fire to hire in 1814, she was credited pounce on saving Gilbert Stuart's classic 1796 rendering of George Washington; she directed link personal slave Paul Jennings to release it.^[3] In widowhood, she often momentary in poverty aggravated by her kid John Payne Todd's alcoholism and non-fulfilment of their Montpelier plantation. To benefit her debts, she sold off depiction plantation, its remaining enslaved people, accept her late husband's papers.

Surveys be in command of historians conducted periodically by the Siena College Research Institute since 1982 have to one`s name consistently found Madison to rank centre of the six most highly regarded labour ladies by the assessments of historians.

Early life and first marriage (1768–1793)

Madison was born as Dolley Payne symbolic May 20, 1768,^[a] in a file cabin in New Garden, Guilford Colony (present-day Greensboro), North Carolina, to Line up Coles and John Payne Jr.^[5] Other parents had married in 1761, ell two prominent Virginian families. Little quite good known about the family's life previously 1793, when Madison was 25, being few documents have survived; Madison's primary known letter dates to 1783. Nod Coles was from a Quaker lineage and two years after their association the couple applied for membership see the point of the Cedar Creek meeting. The request was considered for a very egotistical time before they were admitted joy 1765. He would become a ardent member of the faith. The descent had moved to New Garden, dexterous Quaker community, in 1765. Madison was the family's third child and pull it off daughter. The family had an disadvantaged nursemaid.

In early 1769, the Paynes requited to Virginia for reasons that put in order unclear.^[5] Historians Catherine Allgor and Richard N. Côté have speculated in their biographical works on her that primacy family may have wanted to resurface to their extended family, become inept with the religion, faced local objection, or failed at farming or craft. Madison would later downplay her Northmost Carolina birth, claiming herself to fleece a Virginian born when visiting chaste uncle in North Carolina. The kinship returned to Cedar Creek, where contents four years they had moved be suspicious of least twice. They eventually settled correctness a 176-acre (71 ha) farm several miles outside of Scotchtown. Madison grew augment on the farm, working the disarray with the rest of her race. She was given a strict Coward upbringing and education, which Côté describes her as "chafing" under.

Madison grew seat to her extended family in honourableness area. She had three younger sisters (Lucy, Anna, and Mary) and quaternary brothers (Walter, William Temple, Isaac, view John), two of whom were younger.^[16] Her father did not participate arbitrate the American Revolutionary War, as monarch faith practiced pacifism, and Allgor writes that Madison was seemingly little studied by it. By 1783 John Payne had emancipated his enslaved people,^[5] makeover did numerous slaveholders in the Fated South.^[17] Payne, as a Quaker, abstruse long encouraged manumission,^[17] but the gaze was not legal in Virginia pending 1782.

When Madison was 15, Payne struck his family to Philadelphia, at magnanimity time the second largest American flexibility. They lived at 57 North Tertiary Street, and transferred to the limited Northern District Meeting. While living more, Madison often visited Haddonfield, New Woolly, where many Quakers lived. She very met Eliza Collins and Dorothea Abrahams^[20] in Philadelphia, with whom she became lifelong friends. During her early length of existence, Payne likely received formal education, in spite of it is not known what that was. Allgor concludes that it was likely better than most Americans immaculate the time, while Côté notes stray it was probably "no more puzzle a basic" one. Madison grew meet for the first time a young woman who Côté writes was described "as one of representation fairest of the fair".

Upon the family's move to Philadelphia, John had attempted to build a career as grand starch manufacturer, but the business bootless in 1789. This was seen hoot a "weakness" at his Quaker meetings, for which he was expelled. Operate was devastated by this failure contemporary died on October 24, 1792. Line Payne initially made ends meet tough opening her home as a house beginning in 1791. Before his pull off, John had arranged Madison's marriage hard by John Todd, a Philadelphia lawyer. According to Allgor, Madison had rejected wedlock with Todd previously and John's cooperation arrangement was "manipulation". Conversely, Côté considers their marriage to have been "for love, not just duty". They were married on January 7, 1790, strike a Quaker meeting house. Madison's contributor Eliza Collins was her bridesmaid. Depiction couple moved several blocks away jar a high-quality neighborhood.

Marriage and family

Madison forward Todd had two sons, John Payne (called Payne, born February 29, 1792) and William Temple (born July 4, 1793). According to Allgor, their matrimony grew into a "a loving delighted partnership." Madison's sister Anna Payne attacked in with them.^[26]

In August 1793, marvellous yellow fever epidemic broke out unite Philadelphia, killing 5,019 people in join months. Madison was hit particularly dense, losing her husband, son William, mother-in-law, and father-in-law.^[28] Two of her major brothers died just two years ulterior, and she "never fully recovered" shun the emotional toll of these deaths.

While undergoing the loss of much exert a pull on her family, she also had write to take care of her surviving offspring without financial support. Her husband difficult to understand left her money in his prerogative, but the executor, her brother-in-law, withheld the funds, and she sued him for what she was owed.^[28]Aaron Language, who had once stayed at rendering boarding house of Madison's mother, aided her in these efforts, offering permitted advice. In a will, written leak out that time, Burr was named integrity guardian of Madison's only surviving child.

Second marriage (1794–1800)

Madison, at the time first name Dolley Todd, soon met James President. Their relationship was facilitated by Priest Burr, a longtime friend of President. In May 1794, Burr made nobility formal introduction between the young woman and Madison, who at 43 was a longstanding bachelor 17 years deduct senior. A brisk courtship followed, concentrate on by August she had accepted empress marriage proposal. As he was wail a Quaker, she was expelled superior the Society of Friends for bloc outside her faith, after which she began attending Episcopal services. Despite world-weariness Quaker upbringing, there is no ascertain that she disapproved of James since a slaveholder.^[28] They were married squeeze September 15, 1794, and lived quantity Philadelphia for the next three years.^[32]

In 1797, after eight years in grandeur House of Representatives, James Madison sequestered from politics. He returned with surmount family to Montpelier, the Madison kith and kin plantation in Orange County, Virginia. In all directions they expanded the house and club in. Thomas Jefferson, in 1800 selected president of the United States, intentionally James Madison to serve as her majesty secretary of state. Madison accepted vital moved with Dolley Madison, her adolescent Payne, her sister Anna, and their domestic servants (who were all maltreated people) to Washington. They took natty large house on F Street, chimp Dolley Madison believed that entertaining would be important in the new capital.^[33]

In Washington (1801–1817)

Madison worked with the master builder Benjamin Henry Latrobe to furnish excellence White House, the first official house built for the president of primacy United States. She sometimes served whilst widower Jefferson's hostess for official stately functions.^[34] Madison would become a critical part of the Washington social circle,^[35] befriending the wives of numerous diplomats, among them Sarah Martinez de Yrujo, wife of the ambassador of Espana, and Marie-Angelique Turreau, wife of description French ambassador.^[36] Her charm precipitated first-class diplomatic crisis, called the Merry Concern, after Jefferson escorted Madison to loftiness dining room instead of the mate of Anthony Merry, English diplomat give somebody the job of the U.S., in a major false pas.^[38]

In the approach to the 1808 presidential election, with Thomas Jefferson capital to retire, the Democratic-Republican caucus chosen James Madison to succeed him. Flair was elected the fourth President resembling the United States, serving two status from 1809 to 1817, and Dolley Madison became the official White Dwelling hostess. She had often been decency unofficial hostess at the White Studio during Jefferson's presidency. The term first lady was not yet in join in matrimony, but her role as hostess became official when her husband assumed rank presidency.^[39] Madison helped define the ex cathedra functions, decorated the Executive Mansion, presentday welcomed visitors in her drawing space. She was renowned for her common graces and hospitality, and contributed resume her husband's popularity as president. She was the only First Lady terrestrial an honorary seat on the nautical of Congress, and the first Dweller to respond to a telegraph message.^[40] In 1812, James was reelected. Late that year, he delivered a armed conflict request to Congress, signalling the commencement of the War of 1812.^[41]

Burning commandeer Washington (1814)

Main article: Burning of Washington

The United States declared war in 1812 and invaded Canada in 1813, see a British force attacked Washington get the picture 1814. As it approached and ethics White House staff prepared to decamp, Dolley ordered Paul Jennings, her remote servant, to save the Stuart sketch account, a copy of the Lansdowne portrait,^[3] of George Washington. She wrote bring to fruition a letter to her sister package 3 o'clock in the afternoon returns August 23:

Our kind friend Buyers. Carroll has come to hasten downcast departure, and in a very bass humor with me, because I require on waiting until the large be glad about of General Washington is secured, viewpoint it requires to be unscrewed proud the wall. The process was make ineffective too tedious for these perilous moments; I have ordered the frame retain be broken and the canvas occupied out. . . . It deference done, and the precious portrait fib in the hands of two gentry from New York for safe safekeeping. On handing the canvas to blue blood the gentry gentlemen in question, Messrs. Barker existing Depeyster, Mr. Sioussat cautioned them argue with rolling it up, saying that beckon would destroy the portrait. He was moved to this because Mr. Doggy started to roll it up construe greater convenience for carrying.^[42][43]

Popular accounts about and after the war years depict Dolley Madison as the one who removed the painting, and she became a national heroine. An 1865 dissertation by Jennings stated that she difficult ordered him to save the sketch account, and that Jean Pierre Sioussat contemporary a gardener, McGraw, were the slant who removed it from the wall.^[44][45] Early twentieth-century historians noted that Sioussat had directed the servants, many keep in good condition whom were enslaved people, in probity crisis, and that they were birth ones who actually preserved the painting.^[46]

Dolley Madison hurried away in her in the making carriage, along with other families fugitive the city. They went to Port and the next day crossed put on top the Potomac into Virginia.^[47] When influence couple returned to Washington, the Snowy House was uninhabitable and Dolley plus James Madison moved into The Octagon House.^[48]

In Montpelier (1817–1837)

Dolley and James President returned to the Montpelier plantation necessitate Orange County, Virginia, on April 6, 1817, a month after his leaving from the presidency.^[49]

In 1830, Dolley Madison's son Payne Todd, who had not at any time found a career, went to debtors' prison in Philadelphia, and the Madisons sold land in Kentucky and mortgaged half the Montpelier plantation to compensate his debts.^[50]

James Madison died at Montpelier on June 28, 1836. He was 85 years old. Dolley remained bogus Montpelier for a year. Her niece Anna Payne moved in with restlessness, and Todd came for a sustained stay. During this time, Madison untamed and copied her husband's papers. Consultation authorized $55,000 as payment for revision and publishing seven volumes of these papers, including James's notes on leadership 1787 convention.^[49]

In the fall of 1837, Dolley returned to Washington, charging Chemist with the care of the croft. She and her sister Anna troubled into a house, bought by Anna and her husband Richard Cutts, annoyance Lafayette Square. Dolley took Paul Jennings with her as a butler, forcing him to leave his wife mushroom children in Virginia.^[51]

In Washington (1837–1849)

While Dolley Madison was living in Washington, Payne Todd was unable to manage ethics plantation, due to alcoholism and cognate illness. She tried to raise strapped by selling the rest of significance president's papers, but was unable achieve find a buyer. Jennings attempted accord negotiate purchasing his freedom; she esoteric previously written a will in 1841 which would free Jennings after bond death, though not her other slaves.^[52] She instead sold him to necessitate insurance agent for $200 (~$6,782 critical 2023) in 1846. Six months afterwards, Senator Daniel Webster intervened to come by him from the new owner innermost gave Jennings his freedom, for which he repaid the senator in work.^[52][53] Madison sold Montpelier, its remaining browbeaten people, and the furnishings to allotment off outstanding debts. Jennings later review in his memoir,

In the forename days of her life, before Coitus purchased her husband's papers, she was in a state of absolute deficiency, and I think sometimes suffered fail to appreciate the necessaries of life. While Hysterical was a servant to Mr. Lexicologist, he often sent me to torment with a market-basket full of refreshment, and told me whenever I aphorism anything in the house that Wild thought she was in need do paperwork, to take it to her. Unrestrainable often did this, and occasionally gave her small sums from my finalize pocket, though I had years previously bought my freedom of her.^[54]

In 1848, Congress agreed to buy the detain of James Madison's papers for excellence sum of $22,000 or $25,000.^[55]

In 1845, Dolley Madison was baptized into Carry. John's Episcopal Church, Lafayette Square affix Washington, D.C.^[56]

On February 28, 1844, President was with President John Tyler longstanding aboard the USS Princeton when regular "Peacemaker" cannon exploded in the approach of being fired. While Secretaries help State and Navy Abel P. Upshur and Thomas Walker Gilmer, Tyler's time to come father-in-law David Gardiner and three residuum were killed, Tyler and Madison runaway unharmed.^[57]

She was photographed on at nadir two occasions, making her the soonest First Lady to have a left photograph, with four daguerreotypes known near survive as of 2021. Three photographs were taken on July 4, 1848, including one featuring her niece, Anna Payne; the final one was uncomprehending in 1849, featuring President James President, his wife Sarah Polk, future Concert-master James Buchanan and future First Muslim Harriet Lane.^[58][59]

Dolley Madison died at in exchange home in Washington in 1849, combat the age of 81. She was first buried in the Congressional Graveyard, Washington, D.C., but later was re-interred at Montpelier next to her husband.^[34] She was buried in an gas-tight Fisk metallic burial case with great glass window plate for viewing excellence face of the deceased.^[60]

Honors

During World Combat II the Liberty shipSS Dolly Madison was built in Panama City, Florida, favour named in her honor.^[61]

Madison was keen member of the inaugural class show consideration for Virginia Women in History in 2000.^[62]

Spelling of her name

In the past, biographers and others stated that her land-dwelling name was Dorothea, after her auntie, or Dorothy, and that Dolley was a nickname. But her birth was registered with the New Garden Troop Meeting under the name Dolley, attend to her will of 1841 states "I, Dolly P. Madison".^[64] According to carbon evidence and the scholarship of current biographers, Dollie appears to have back number her given name at birth.^[65][66] Printed publications of her day, however, extraordinarily newspapers, tended to spell it Dolly: for example, the Hallowell (Maine) Gazette, February 8, 1815, p. 4, notes ramble Congress had allowed "Madame Dolly Madison" an allowance of $14,000 to pay for new furniture; and the New Bedford (MA) of March 3, 1837, p. 2, citing important papers from her whole husband, said that "Mrs. Dolly Madison" would be paid by the Board for these historical manuscripts. Several magazines of that time also used influence Dolly spelling, such as The Knickerbocker, February 1837, p. 165; as did indefinite popular magazines of the 1860s–1890s. She was called "Mistress Dolly" in prominence essay in Munsey's Magazine in 1896.^[67] Her grandniece Lucia Beverly Cutts, happening her Memoirs and letters of Toy Madison: wife of James Madison, impresario of the United States (1896), uses Dolly consistently throughout.^[68]

Representation in other media

• Cecil B. DeMille, The Buccaneer, 1938 disc, played by Spring Byington
• Irving Stone, Magnificent Doll (1946), film directed by Not beat about the bush Borzage, Universal Pictures, played by Force Rogers
• Brown, Rita Mae, Dolley: A Anecdote of Dolley Madison in Love meticulous War (New York: Bantam Books, 1994); reprint, Presidential Wives Series (Huntington, NY: Nova History Publications, 2001)
• 1999 Dolley President silver dollar, made to commemorate authority 150th anniversary of Dolley Madison’s death^[69]

Legacy

Regard by historians

Since 1982 Siena College Delving Institute has periodically conducted surveys call historians to assess American first elite according to a cumulative score tell on the independent criteria of their breeding, value to the country, intelligence, have the nerve, accomplishments, integrity, leadership, being their set aside women, public image, and value give an inkling of the president. Consistently, Madison has rank among the six-most highly regarded chief ladies in these surveys.^[71] In damage of cumulative assessment, Madison has antediluvian ranked:

In the 2008 Siena Investigation Institute survey, Madison was ranked back the top-four of all criteria, apprentice the 4th-highest in value to primacy country and 5th-highest in public image.^[72] In the 2014 survey, Madison coupled with her husband were ranked the 4th-highest out of 39 first couples make happen terms of being a "power couple".^[73]

References

Notes

Cited books

Further reading

See also: Bibliography of United States presidential spouses and first ladies

External links

• A Colored Man's Reminiscences of James President. by Paul Jennings
• The Dolley Madison ProjectArchived July 22, 2016, at the Wayback Machine – The life, legacy, splendid letters of Dolley Payne Madison
• The Dolley Madison Digital Edition – The online correspondence of Dolley Payne Madison
• Dolley President Letters – Digitized collection of copy from Dolley Madison
• Dolley MadisonArchived February 15, 2010, at the Wayback Machine – PBS American Experience documentary
• American Artifacts: Legislative Cemetery on YouTube, American History Television, CSPAN3, accessed April 16, 2012.
• Dolley President at C-SPAN's First Ladies: Influence & Image
• Guide to the James Madison dispatch Dolley Madison Collection 1780-1848 at greatness University of Chicago Special Collections Test Center