House of Representativesfrom VirginiaIn officeMarch 4, 1789 – March 4, 1797[4]Preceded byConstituency establishedSucceeded byJohn DawsonConstituency5th district (1789–1793)15th district (1793–1797)Delegate from Virginia to the Congress of the ConfederationIn officeNovember 6, 1786 – October 30, 1787[5]In officeMarch 1, 1781 – November 1, 1783
Personal detailsBornJames Madison Jr.(1751-03-16)March 16, 1751Port Conway, Virginia, British AmericaDiedJune 28, 1836(1836-06-28) (aged 85)Montpelier, Virginia, U.S.Cause of deathCongestive heart failurePolitical partyDemocratic–RepublicanSpouseDolley Payne ​(m. .mw-parser-output .tooltip-dotted{border-bottom:1px dotted;cursor:help}1794)​ParentsJames Madison Sr.Eleanor Rose Conway MadisonEducationCollege of New JerseySignature
James Madison Jr. (March 16, 1751[b] – June 28, 1836) was an American statesman, diplomat, and Founding Father. He served as the fourth president of the United States from 1809 to 1817. Madison 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.
Madison was born into a prominent slave-owning planter family in Virginia. He served as a member of the Virginia House of Delegates and the Continental Congress during and after the American Revolutionary War. Unsatisfied with the weak national government established by the Articles of Confederation, he helped organize the Constitutional Convention, which produced a new constitution designed to strengthen republican government against democratic assembly. 