Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 07.djvu/235

 MADISON

MADISON

Rev. Richard Channing Moore was consecrated. Dr. Madison was married in 1779 to Sarah Tate, granddaughter of Secretary William Cocke, and they liad two children, James Gatesby, and Susan Randolph, who married Robert G. Scott. Mrs. Madison died Aug. 20, 1815. Bishop Madison received the honorary degree of D.D. from the University of Pennsylvania in 1785, and from the College of William and Mary in 1796. He was the author of: Eulogy on Washington (iSOQ); papers in Barton's Jowrnai; a map of Virginia ; and several sermons for special occasions. He died in Williamsburg, Va., March 6, 1812.

MADISON, James, fourth president of the United States, was born in Port Conway, King Oeorge county, Va., March 16, 1751 ; son of Col. James and Eleanor Rose (Conway) Madison ; grandson of Ambrose and Frances (Taylor) Madison ; great grandson of John and Agatha (Strother) Madison, and of James and Martha (Thompson) Taylor, and great ^ grandson of Capt. John Madison, who was a patentee of a tiact of land between the York and North rivers on Ches- apeake bay in Virginia in 1653. Captain John's son, John, settled in Orange county, and built the homestead at Montpelier, where his sou Am- brose was born, and on reaching manhood took to his house as his wife Frances, daughter of James and Martha (Thompson) Taylor, of Port Conway, King George county. Col. James Madi- son, born March 27, 1723. was a prosperous but not wealthy farmer, and James, the eldest of the twelve children, was sent to school to Donald Robertson near Montpelier, and was prepared for college by the Rev. Thomas Martin, the minister of the parish. When seventeen years old he was matriculated at the College of New Jersey, Princeton, and he gave close attention to his studies, allowing himself for long periods but tiiree hours' sleep out of the twenty-four. In this way he completed a four-years' course in three years, but on commencement day, Sept. 25, 1771, the program announced that " Mr. James Mad- ison was excused from taking part in the exer- cises," as he had so overworked as to lead to a complete collapse. His standing in his stud- ies was high and he received his diploma with the class of 1771, the document being dated October 7. This diploma came to liglit in 1898, when the treasures of the Congressional library were being transferred to the new building. He remained in Princeton after his graduation, tak- ing a post graduate course in Hebrew under President Witherspoon, 1771-72. He then tu- tored in his father's family, and as his health would allow, continued his study of history, con- stitutional law and theology. He served as a member of the committee of safety from Orange county in 1774, when twenty-three years old, and

was a delegate to the state convention held at Williamsburg in May, 1776. This convention in- structed the Virginia delegates to advocate a declaration of independence, and afterward framed a constitution for the state. Madison was a member of the special committee on the constitution and the author of the clause in the bill of rights as adopted, declaring "all men equally entitled to the free exercise of religion according to the dictates of conscience." He was a representative from Orange in the first state legislature, but failed of election to the sec- ond as he would not solicit votes or furnish re- freshments to voters. He was unanimously elected by the legislature a member of the state council, and in 1780 was chosen a delegate to the Continental congress. On taking his seat at Philadelphia he was at once recognized as a lead- er and was made a member of important com- mittees. He opposed the issue of paper money proposed treaties with France and Spain, espe- by the states ; was chairman of the committee on foreign relations, and was entrusted to draw up the- instructions to John Jay in reference to cially looking to an alliance with Spain in order to obtain military assistance in view of the success of the British army in the southern states. Vir- ginia at first sustained him in opposing any sur- render of the free use of the Mississippi river, but subsequently favored the surrender of the Mis- sissippi valley to Spain in consideration of an offensive and. defensive alliance. This policy Madison continued to oppose, but he finally con- sented to embody the offer in the instructions to Mr. Jay under protest. Fortunately the surren- der of Cornwallis enabled him to countermand these instructions and he was rewarded for his diplomacy by seeing the Mississippi valley the heart of the American republic. He strenuously advocated a limited impost law and in 1783 was made chairman of the committee on ways and means where he antagonized his constituents and disregarded the instructions of the legislature of Virginia which had revoked their former action by which they had assented to an impost law. The adoption of this law called for the first com- promise made between the slave and free states, and was proposed and carried through by Mad- ison as the only way in which to secure a con- tinuance of the union. In this agreement it was stipulated that slaves should be rated as popula- tion, five slaves to count as three persons. He was a representative in the state legislature, 1784-86, and took an active part in revising the statutes of Virginia and abolishing the Federal system of entails, primogeniture and state sup- port to the Anglican church. During this time he wrote his celebrated " Memorial and Remon- strance " on the latter subject, classed as one of