Madison, James

A political leader of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries; one of the Founding Fathers. Madison was a member of the Continental Congress. A leader in the drafting of the Constitution, he worked tirelessly for its adoption by the states, contributing several essays to The Federalist Papers. He served as president from 1809 to 1817, after Thomas Jefferson. The United States fought the War of 1812 during his presidency. He was married to one of the most celebrated of presidents' wives, Dolley Madison.