A single elector from New Hampshire, William Plumer, cast a vote for John Quincy Adams, preventing a unanimous vote in the Electoral College.[122] He did so because he thought Monroe was incompetent. Later in the century, the story arose that he had cast his dissenting vote so that only George Washington would have the honor of unanimous election. Plumer never mentioned Washington in his speech explaining his vote to the other New Hampshire electors.[123]

States admitted to the Union
Five new states were admitted to the Union while Monroe was in office:

Mississippi – December 10, 1817[124]
Illinois – December 3, 1818[125]
Alabama – December 14, 1819[126]
Maine – March 15, 1820[127][a]
Missouri – August 10, 1821[129]
Post-presidency (1825–1831)
Monroe once owned a farm at the location of the University of Virginia in Charlottesville
Monroe in a 1829 portrait by Chester Harding
When his presidency ended on March 4, 1825, James Monroe resided at Monroe Hill, what is now included in the grounds of the University of Virginia. He served on the university's Board of Visitors under Jefferson and under the second rector James Madison, both former presidents, almost until his death. 