James Monroe

Served: 1817 – 1825, 5th President

Political Party: Democratic-Republican

Public Service:
– fought in the Revolutionary War
– delegate from Virginia to the Congress of the Confederation
– U.S. Senator from Virginia
– U.S. Minister to France
– U.S. Minister to the United Kingdom
– Governor of Virginia (twice)
– U.S. Secretary of State and U.S. Secretary of War

Accomplishments while President:
– signed the ‘Missouri Compromise’, which admitted Missouri as a slave state but
banned slavery in all northern territories
– Acquired Florida from Spain
– set the border between Canada and the U.S.
– supported the return of freed slaves to Africa
– recognized the independence of Argentina, Peru, Colombia, Chile and Mexico from Spain
– Mississippi, Illinois, Alabama, Maine, and Missouri joined the U.S.
– Proclaimed the ‘Monroe Doctrine’, opposing European intervention in North and South America

Personal Details:

Born – April 28, 1758
Occupation – lawyer, farmer, slave-owner
Spouse – Elizabeth
Residence – Oak Hill
Nickname – Founding Father
Died – July 4, 1831

Fun Facts:
– took part in Gen. Washington’s surprise attack on the Hessians at Trenton
– helped to write and pass the Northwest Ordinance, which eventually resulted in five new states
– helped to negotiate the Louisiana Purchase, which doubled the size of the U.S.
– was childhood friends with John Marshall, future Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court
– Last president who was a Revolutionary War veteran, and never photographed
– one of three presidents who died on the 4th of July

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