Madison, James
Madison, James( 1751–1836),4th President of the U.S. (1809–17), was born in Virginia, reared on his father's plantation, and educated at the College of New Jersey, from which he graduated (1771) as a classmate of Brackenridge and Freneau. He entered the Revolutionary struggle as a member of the local Committee of Safety, the Virginia Council of State (1778–79), and the Continental Congress (1780–83), where he favored increased power of the central government. Later, he practiced law and served in the Virginia House of Delegates, being the principal advocate of Jefferson's statute for religious liberty and other liberal measures. Madison was largely responsible for calling the Federal Constitutional Convention (1787), drew up the Virginia Plan, and won the name “Father of the Constitution” for his leadership of the Convention. Knowledge of its deliberations depends greatly on his Journal of the Federal Convention (3 vols.,...
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