9. James Madison and Dolley Todd Madison
Dolley Madison and her husband James made a strange pair in public to society’s eyes. James was small, slender, and reserved in public appearances, while his wife was large, boisterous, and skilled at socializing. She revolutionized the American capital during her period as First Lady, during both her husband’s administration and at times for the Jefferson administration which preceded it. Madison hosted levees and other social events, inviting the highlights of both of the contentious political parties of the day. She adroitly maneuvered among those holding opposing views, fostering civil discourse. It was a distinct change from the polarized situation in Washington which emerged during the Washington and Adams years. Dolley established doing business in an informal atmosphere, during what would in a much later day become known as cocktail parties.
Their marriage was a long one, 42 years, and lasted until former President Madison died at his Montpelier estate in Virginia in 1836. After Madison’s death, Dolley returned to Washington, where she sorted and cataloged her husband’s papers, zealously protecting his legacy. She was forced to sell his beloved plantation to settle debts, many of them the result of mismanagement on the part of her son. She continued to be welcomed in Washington society for the rest of her life, including in the White House, and in the halls of Congress. When she died in 1849 her family interred her remains in the Congressional Cemetery in Washington, though she was later exhumed and reinterred alongside her husband on the grounds of Montpelier, near Charlottesville, Virginia.