Dolley Madison was raised on a plantation with her family of nine in New Garden, North Carolina. She had seven siblings and her parents, John Payne, Jr. and Mary Cole Payne.1 After she reached the age of fifteen, her father sold their plantation because he did not believe in slavery. With the money he had accumulated over the years, he left the countryside to start a business in Philadelphia.2 Dolley Madison’s father slowly began to lose his business. He was not a very good business man. After losing his business in 1789, Dolley’s mother began to rent out rooms of their house to other people.3
Dolley was known for being a very beautiful woman. Many men lined up to ask her to marry. It was not until she was twenty-one years old that she met her first husband, John Todd.4 Within a year, the two were married and within three, they had two sons. Unfortunately, John Todd and Dolley’s youngest son were killed when an epidemic of yellow fever arrived. This unfortunate event left Dolley Todd alone with her oldest child.5
After losing her husband, Dolley did not stay a widow for long. A man she had met when she was nineteen years old at the Constitutional Convention began to woe her. James Madison was one of her many fans who had tried to court Dolley many years prior.6 The odd thing was that James Madison was not exactly the kind of man that women found attractive. He lacked many attributes that women usually found admirable. He could not dance or ride a horse, and he was seventeen years older than Dolley.7 These factors did not sway Dolley’s opinion of the “Father of the Constitution,” and she agreed to marry him. Later in their marriage, she converted to Episcopalian and abandoned her Quaker affiliation.8 After this discovery by her family, she was quickly disowned and left with only her son and her new husband, James Madison.
James Madison served as the Secretary of State under Thomas Jefferson for his two terms. While under his presidency, Dolley Madison was asked by Jefferson to be in charge of the social affairs of the White House.9 She was given this position because she seemed to have loved everyone she met and treated everyone equally with care. When Jefferson decided not to run for a third term, he decided that there would be no better fit for president than the “Father of the Constitution,” James Madison.10 Dolley Madison was seen as one of the best first ladies of all time. She was constantly recognized for the way she upheld herself and was loved by everyone. She was even sometimes called “Queen Dolley.”11
During James Madison’s first term in office, he faced a war with England in the War of 1812.12 In the year 1814, the British marched into Washington D.C. and toward the White House, where Dolley and James Madison were staying. As Dolley saw the British approaching, she ignored all the people in the White House who were telling her that she needed to leave. Instead, she began to load all the valuables from the White House, such as fine china, important documents, and the famous portrait of George Washington by the artist Gilbert Stuart.13 After loading as much as she could, she then left the White House. When Dolley Madison saved that painting and all the artifacts, she did not know she was leaving her mark on history. She changed the way the White House social affairs were held and saved one of the most valuable paintings in the United States. She was a very determined woman that left an impact on everyone and everything she came in contact with.
- Encyclopedia of World Biography, 2014, s.v. “Dolly Madison.” ↵
- Encyclopedia of World Biography, 2014, s.v. “Dolly Madison.” ↵
- Encyclopedia of World Biography, 2014, s.v. “Dolly Madison.” ↵
- Encyclopedia of World Biography, 2014, s.v. “Dolly Madison.” ↵
- Encyclopedia of World Biography, 2014, s.v. “Dolly Madison.” ↵
- Encyclopedia of World Biography, 2014, s.v. “Dolly Madison.” ↵
- Salem Press Biographical, 2016, s.v. “Dolley Madison,” by Robert P. Watson. ↵
- Salem Press Biographical, 2016, s.v. “Dolley Madison,” by Robert P. Watson. ↵
- Salem Press Biographical, 2016, s.v. “Dolley Madison,” by Robert P. Watson. ↵
- Encyclopedia of World Biography, 2014, s.v. “Dolly Madison.” ↵
- Encyclopedia of World Biography, 2014, s.v. “Dolly Madison.” ↵
- Encyclopedia of World Biography, 2014, s.v. “Dolly Madison.” ↵
- Salem Press Biographical, 2016, s.v. “Dolley Madison,” by Robert P. Watson. ↵
54 comments
Rylie Kieny
I had never heard of Dolly Madison until reading this article. I think sometimes the First Ladies are overlooked in history and their contributions are forgotten. In more recent years this has changed however back then the wives were put to the background. Many people would have run from war however this article explains how Dolly would not just abandoned her home as is. She knew the importance of the artifacts and would not let them be destroyed. She served as a well liked First Lady and contributed the the preservation of American artifacts.
Ysenia Rodriguez
I had never heard of Dolley Madison until this moment. Women, especially as wives to presidents of the United States, are either publicized as women of strength and with a loving nature, or completely forgotten in our history books. This article was educational and, with my belief that you should learn something new every day, I am glad I know that Dolley Madison showed an immense amount of courage when saving the prestigious portrait of President George Washington, along with other artifacts, as the British marched on to the White House. These women have a place in our history.
Cristina Cabello
This is a good short descriptive article. I did not know that that James Madison was Dolly’s second husband. I always thought that when women became widows they would just remain that way. Well I only thought that for back then. In school we never learned about this. it was really brave of Dolly to go against her parents religious aspects. I think this is a really good topic that you wrote.
Natalia Flores
I did not know that James Madison was Dolly Madison’s second husband and I had no idea she had no kids with him and that she even had kids to begin with. I feel that history books completely overlook these facts which is a shame. Though, I am glad that her story of saving priceless artifacts when the British were coming. That in itself is true courage to see the enemy coming and deciding to stay to save priceless objects.
Maria Esquivel
When I hear about Dolley Madison, I always think about they way she saved the George Washington portrait. However, I didn’t know about her life before James Madison. I found it really interesting reading about her life before becoming the First Lady of the United States. President James Madison will always be known as an important figure but I find it so interesting learning about Queen Dolley and the impact she had on everyone and everything she encountered.
Isaac Rodriguez
Before reading the article I did not know much about Dolly Madison, likely because I was not taught about her in school. It is fascinating that she was a passionate woman, and was able to see James Madison for who he was rather than appearance. It is interesting that she saw the importance of the valuables in the white house and cared enough to risk her life in order to preserve history.
Belia Camarena
Dolley Madison sounds like a truly remarkable woman. She was way ahead of her time in terms of independence. Unlike the majority of woman from this time period, Dolly did what she felt was right, not what others expected of her. This led to her being disowned by her family, which must have been tough. However, it also allowed her to put her mark on history.
Natalie Childs
Before reading this article, the main thing that I knew about Dolley Madison was that she saved the painting of George Washington, as well as several other artifacts, in 1814, before the White House burned. I had never really known her origin story and how she had become married to James Madison. This not only was a great article, it was a great way to tell more about someone that most all of us know.
Destiny Flores
I really enjoyed this article because it took an angle that’s not normally taken. James Madison is known and heard of in history but Dolley Madison is never really heard of. Her origin story is quite interesting and its even more captivating the effect that she had, and still has to this day, on the traditions of the white house due to her courageousness.
Hannah Wilson
I did not know anything about Dolley Madison until I read this article. I like that one of the most powerful and well-known men in history chose a wife that was his equal and he treated her as that. She seemed to be a kind-hearted person who was fair to everyone which was a great quality to have at that time in history. I love hearing about history and how a single person changed a part of it and impacted so many others throughout their time.