Call Number:

C0207

Repository:

Princeton University Library: Manuscripts Division

Extent:

• 2 boxes
• 2.8 linear feet

Language:

English

Preferred Citation:

Identification of specific item; Date (if known); Princeton University Library Collection of James Madison Materials, Box and Folder Number; Special Collections, Princeton University Library.

Date:

1770-1937 (inclusive) and 1770-1838 (bulk)

Creator:

Princeton University. Library. Special Collections, Madison, Dolley, 1768-1849, and Madison, James, 1751-1836.

Form:

Correspondence -- 19th century, Deeds -- Pennsylvania -- Pittsburgh -- 19th century., Engravings -- 19th century., Land grants -- Ohio -- 19th century., Passports -- United States -- 19th century., and Ship's papers -- 19th century.

Abstract:

Consists of an open collection of selected correspondence, writings, and documents created or signed by James Madison, fourth president of the United States, correspondence and a document of Dolley Payne Todd Madison, as well as a small amount of material by others about James Madison.

Dolly Madison was born Dolley Payne in Guilford County, North Carolina, on May 20, 1768. Her parents were Quakers, and her first marriage was with John Todd, a Quaker lawyer in Philadelphia, with whom she had two sons. After Todd died during the 1793 yellow fever epidemic, Dolley married James Madison (1751-1836), who then represented Virginia in the United States House of Representatives and later became President of the United States from 1809-1817. She played a major part in establishing the role of the First Lady of the United States, working with the architect Benjamin Henry Latrobe to furnish the White House and fostering bipartisan cooperation by inviting members of both political parties to social functions. After Madison's presidency ended, the couple returned to the Montpelier plantation in Orange County, Virginia. Dolley moved back to Washington, D.C., after the passing of her husband and lived there until her death on July 12, 1849.

James Madison was a statesman and the fourth president of the United States. Born in 1751 in Port Conway, Virginia, he studied history and government at the College of New Jersey (now Princeton University), where he graduated in 1771. Madison was active in the framing of the United States Constitution in 1776, and served in the Continental Congress and the Virginia Assembly; he is considered to be one of the founding fathers of the United States. His collaboration with Alexander Hamilton and John Jay on the Federalist essays contributed to the eventual ratification of the Constitution, and helped to shape the Bill of Rights and to enact the first revenue legislation. Madison served as President Thomas Jefferson's secretary of state and was elected president in 1808. Under his administration, the United States prohibited trade with Britain, leading to the War of 1812 and the eventual collapse of the Federalist party. He stepped down from the presidency in 1817 and died in 1836. Madison was first engaged to Catherine Floyd; and on September 15, 1794, he married Dolley Payne Todd.

This open collection consists of selected material of President James Madison (Princeton Class of 1771) assembled from various sources, including a manuscript, letters, and documents, as well as some correspondence and a document of Dolley Payne Todd Madison, and a small amount of material created by others about James Madison. In a four-page autobiographical manuscript, James Madison discusses his ancestors, his education, and some of his writings. John Boyle, Lewis Condict, Benjamin Harrison, Robert R. Livingston, David McClure, Jedidiah Morse, Richard Paterson, and Horatio Gates Spafford are among the addressees of Madison's letters, some of which appear to be first drafts. Among the documents are several Ohio land grants, a passport, ship papers for the ship Avon, a handwritten Pittsburgh deed executed by the U.S. Congress, and a document appointing John Mason as tax assessor in Vermont. Some of the documents are counter-signed by Secretary of State James Monroe. Also included is material about miniatures of Madison and his then fiancé, Catherine Floyd, done by Peale. There are also engravings of James and Dolley Madison, including one by J. C. Chapman and autographed by James Madison. Dolley Madison's correspondents include the Baroness Hyde de Neuville, C. M. Johnson, J. Mason, Aaron H. Palmer, C. M. J. Smith, and John Taylor. There is also an autograph note to Daniel Webster, as well as a signed document appointing Andrew Stevenson as her attorney in London, dated October 23, 1838.