James Madison
Principal architect of the Constitution who led the First Congress as a Virginia representative.
Overview
Madison served in the Continental Congress and the Annapolis Convention before becoming the chief draftsperson of the 1787 Constitution and, with Alexander Hamilton and John Jay, a principal author of the Federalist Papers. Elected to the first House of Representatives in 1789, he took the lead in drafting and passing the Bill of Rights, sponsored the legislation that created the Department of State and the revenue system of the new government, and then broke with Hamilton over the Bank of the United States. He helped organize what became the Democratic-Republican Party with Thomas Jefferson and later served as president from 1809 to 1817.
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