4.42 - Madison Post-Presidency
Year(s) Discussed: 1817-1836
If James Madison hoped for a retirement from public life in the final years of his life, he would find it to be anything but. From helping found and lead the University of Virginia to serving in a state constitutional convention to writing articles and coordinating with presidents to defeat the menace of nullification, Madison remained a national figure after returning to Montpelier after his second term. When not serving others, the former President worked to get his personal finances in order and dealt with numerous family tragedies. Sources used for this episode can be found at https://www.presidenciespodcast.com.
Special thanks to Madison of the It's A History Podcast, to Theresa of We Effed Up, and Stephen of Imperfect Men for providing the intro quotes for this episode!
The transcript for this episode can be found here.
- “About | Papers of James Madison.” University of Virginia Press. https://pjm.as.virginia.edu/about. [Last Accessed: 3 Jan 2025]
- Allgor, Catherine. A Perfect Union: Dolley Madison and the Creation of the American Nation. New York: Henry Holt & Co, 2006.
- Bigler, Philip. Scandalous Son: The Elusive Search for Dolley Madison’s Son, John Payne Todd. Quicksburg, VA: Apple Ridge Publishers, 2015.
- Ketcham, Ralph. James Madison: A Biography. Charlottesville, VA and London: University Press of Virginia, 1994 [1971].
- Ketcham, Ralph. The Madisons at Montpelier: Reflections on the Founding Couple. Charlottesville and London: University of Virginia Press, 2009.
- Landry, Jerry. The Presidencies of the United States. 2017-2025. https://www.presidenciespodcast.com.
- Madison, James. “To Thomas Jefferson, 24 February 1826,” Founders Online, National Archives, https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Jefferson/98-01-02-5934. [Last Accessed: 5 Jan 2025]
- Madison, James. “To Nicholas P. Trist, 6 July 1826,” Founders Online, National Archives, https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Madison/04-04-02-0076. [Original source: The Papers of James Madison, Retirement Series, vol. 4, 3 March 1826–29 February 1828, ed. Armin Mattes, David B. Mattern, J. C. A. Stagg, Anne Mandeville Colony, Ellen D. Goldlust, Mary Parke Johnson, Katherine E. Harbury, and Mary K. Wigge. Charlottesville: University of Virginia Press, 2023, p. 60.] [Last Accessed: 3 Jan 2025]
- Madison, James. “To Dolley Madison, 14 December 1826,” Founders Online, National Archives, https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Madison/04-04-02-0203. [Original source: The Papers of James Madison, Retirement Series, vol. 4, 3 March 1826–29 February 1828, ed. Armin Mattes, David B. Mattern, J. C. A. Stagg, Anne Mandeville Colony, Ellen D. Goldlust, Mary Parke Johnson, Katherine E. Harbury, and Mary K. Wigge. Charlottesville: University of Virginia Press, 2023, p. 218.] [Last Accessed: 3 Jan 2025]
- Mattern, David B, and Holly C Shulman, eds. The Selected Letters of Dolley Payne Madison. Charlottesville, VA and London: University of Virginia Press, 2003.
- McCoy, Drew R. The Last of the Fathers: James Madison & The Republican Legacy. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1991 [1989].
- Moore, Virginia. The Madisons: A Biography. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1979.
Featured Image: "James Madison" by Asher Brown Durand [c. 1833], courtesy of Wikipedia
Intro and Outro Music: "Hull's Victory," as performed by David and Ginger Hildebrand, courtesy of the Colonial Music Institute at George Washington's Mount Vernon
