James Monroe

5th President of the United States
(March 4, 1817 to March 3, 1825)

Nicknames: "The Last Cocked Hat"; "Era-of-Good-Feeling President"

Born: April 28, 1758, in Westmoreland County, Virginia
Died: July 4, 1831, in New York, New York

Father: Spence Monroe
Mother: Elizabeth Jones Monroe
Married: Elizabeth "Eliza" Kortright (1768-1830), on February 16, 1786
Children: Eliza Kortright Monroe (1786-1835); James Spence Monroe (1799-1800); Maria Hester Monroe (1803-50)

Religion: Episcopalian
Education: Graduated from College of William and Mary (1776)
Occupation: Lawyer
Political Party: Democratic-Republican
Other Government Positions:

• Member of Continental Congress, 1783-86

• United States Senator, 1790-94

• Minister to France, 1794-96

• Governor of Virginia, 1799-1802

• Minister to France and England, 1803-07

• Secretary of State, 1811-17 (under  Madison)

• Secretary of War, 1814-15 (under  Madison)

Presidential Salary: $25,000/year

Vice President: Vice President: Daniel D. Tompkins (1817-1825)

Cabinet:

Secretary of State

 John Quincy Adams (1817-25)

Secretary of the Treasury

William H. Crawford (1817-25)

Secretary of War

John C. Calhoun (1817-25)

Attorney General

Richard Rush (1817)

William Wirt (1817-25)

Secretary of the Navy

Benjamin W. Crowninshield (1817-18)

Smith Thompson (1819-23)

Samuel L. Southard (1823-25)

Notable Events:

• 1818

  • Congress fixed the number of stripes on the U.S. flag at 13 to honor the original colonies, April 4.
    Anglo-American Convention set the 49th parallel as the border with Canada.

• 1819

  • Florida ceded by Spain to the United States on February 22. In exchange the U.S. cancelled $5 million in Spanish debts.

• 1820

  • The Missouri Compromise, forbade slavery above 36 degrees 30 minutes latitude.
    Monroe reelected.

• 1823

  • On December 2, Monroe Doctrine delivered to Congress.

Internet Biographies:

James Monroe -- from The Presidents of the United States of America

Compiled by the White House.

James Monroe -- from Table of Presidents and Vice Presidents of the United States - MSN Encarta

Grolier Online has created this resource from its collection of print articles in Encyclopedia Americana. Contains a full biography, written by Harry Ammon of Southern Illinois University, along with suggestions for further reading.

James Monroe -- from The American President

From the Miller Center of Public Affairs at the University of Virginia, in addition to information on the Presidents themselves, they have first lady and cabinet member biographies, listings of presidential staff and advisers, and timelines detailing significant events in the lives of each administration.

Historical Documents:

First Inaugural Address (1817)

Second Inaugural Address (1821)

Monroe Doctrine (1823)

Other Internet Resources:

Ash Lawn -- Highland

The Virginia home of James Madison from 1799-1826. Contains a short biography of the president, tourist information, and interior photographs of the estate.

James Monroe Museum & Memorial Library

Tourist and exhibit information about the museum, run by the University of Mary Washington.

Points of Interest:

• Monroe was the first president to ride on a steamboat.

• At sixteen years old, Monroe attended the college of William and Mary.

• He was the first president to have been a U.S. senator.

• In the election of 1820 Monroe received every electoral vote except one. A New Hampshire delegate wanted  Washington to be the only president elected unanimously.

• Monroe's inauguration in 1817 was the first to be held outdoors.

• The bride in the first White House wedding was Monroe's daughter.

• The U.S. Marine Band played at Monroe's 1821 inauguration and at every inauguration since.

James Monroe

5th President of the United States
(March 4, 1817 to March 3, 1825)

Elizabeth Monroe

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