James Monroe

James Monroe
5th President of the United States
In office
March 4, 1817 – March 4, 1825
Vice PresidentDaniel D. Tompkins
Preceded byJames Madison
Succeeded byJohn Quincy Adams
12th and 16th Governor of Virginia
In office
December 28, 1799 – December 1, 1802
Preceded byJames Wood
Succeeded byJohn Page
In office
January 16, 1811 – April 2, 1811
Preceded byGeorge William Smith
Succeeded byGeorge William Smith
Personal details
Born(1758-04-28)April 28, 1758
Westmoreland County, Virginia, U.S.
DiedJuly 4, 1831(1831-07-04) (aged 73)
New York City, New York, U.S.
NationalityAmerican
Political partyDemocratic-Republican
Spouse(s)Elizabeth Kortright Monroe
ReligionEpiscopal Church
SignatureCursive signature in ink

James Monroe (April 28, 1758 – July 4, 1831) was the fifth president of the United States. He mostly agreed with Thomas Jefferson and James Madison, the two presidents before him. Many cities have been named Monroe. Monrovia, the capital of Liberia, is also named after him.[1]

Early life

Monroe was born in Virginia. When James was 16, his father died. At age 18, he joined the Continental Army. He later studied law with Thomas Jefferson.[2]

He married Elizabeth Kotright in 1789.

Political life

Monroe was an anti-federalist; he did not want the United States Constitution to pass. He was elected to the United States Senate in 1790. He helped form the Democratic-Republican Party with Jefferson and James Madison.[1]

Monroe was Governor of Virginia from 1799 to 1802.[3]

Monroe went to Paris to help negotiate the Louisiana Purchase, and later became Ambassador to Great Britain.[4]

Monroe was Madison's Secretary of State and Secretary of War.[5]

Presidency

Monroe was president from 1817 to 1825. With his Secretary of State John Quincy Adams, Monroe got Spain to give the United States Florida. Monroe and Adams also created the Monroe Doctrine, which was a policy that said that the United States did not want Europe to be involved in the Western Hemisphere anymore.

Monroe signed the Missouri Compromise. The compromise was to delay the slavery issue in the United States. Monroe was the last president to have fought in the American Revolutionary War and the last one to be one of the Founding Fathers of the United States.[6]

Post-presidency

Monroe retired to Virginia. After his wife's death he moved to New York where he died on July 4, 1831 of tuberculosis.

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "James Monroe | Biography, Presidency, & Facts". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 2021-08-14.
  2. ↑ "James Monroe". The White House. Retrieved 2021-08-14.
  3. ↑ "James Monroe | Miller Center". millercenter.org. 2016-09-26. Retrieved 2021-08-14.
  4. ↑ "Knowing the Presidents: James Monroe". Smithsonian Institution. Retrieved 2021-08-14.
  5. ↑ "Biography of James Monroe". www.ushistory.org. Retrieved 2021-08-14.
  6. ↑ Unger, Harlow Giles (2009). The Last Founding Father: James Monroe and a Nation's Call to Greatness. Hachette Books. ISBN 978-0-7867-4587-6.

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