James Madison

James Madison (1751 to 1836) was a Founding Father and the fourth president of the United States, serving from 1809 to 1817. He is entered in the atlas as a constitutional draftsman and statesman: he was acclaimed 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. His Virginia Plan was the basis for the deliberations of the Constitutional Convention, and with Alexander Hamilton and John Jay he wrote The Federalist Papers, essays urging ratification that remain prominent in American political science. He later served as Secretary of State under Thomas Jefferson from 1801 to 1809 before becoming president and leading the country through the War of 1812.