Madison Timeline
16 March 1751: Born in Port Conway, King George County, Virginia
1751-62: Grew up and studied at family estate, Montpelier, Orange County, Virginia
1762-67: Studied at Donald Robertson's English and Latin school in Caroline County, Virginia
1767-69: Returned to Montpelier to study with the Reverend Thomas Martin, a recent College of New Jersey graduate
1769-71: Studied at and graduated from College of New Jersey (now Princeton University)
1771-72: Engaged in postgraduate studies in theology and Hebrew at College of New Jersey (now Princeton University)
1772: Returned to Montpelier
April 1774: Visited Philadelphia
April 1776: Elected to Virginia Convention
May-July 1776: Participated in Virginia Convention, Williamsburg, which amended Virginia Declaration of Rights to provide for religious freedom
October-December 1776: Participated in Virginia House of Delegates, Williamsburg; met Thomas Jefferson
1777-79: Elected and served as member of Virginia Council of State, Williamsburg
March 1780-December 1783: Served as delegate to Continental Congress, Philadelphia
1784-86: Served as Orange County delegate to Virginia Assembly, Richmond
September 1786: Served as delegate to the Annapolis Convention on interstate trade, Maryland
February 1787-March 1788: Served as elected Virginia delegate to Congress, New York
May-September 1787: Served as delegate to the Constitutional Convention, Philadelphia; signed the U.S. Constitution
October 1787-May 1788: Coauthored (with Alexander Hamilton and John Jay) and published The Federalist
March 1788: Elected to Virginia ratifying convention
1789-97: Served in U.S. House of Representatives
15 September 1794: Married Dolley Payne Todd at Harewood, Charles Town, Virginia (now West Virginia)
1797: Returned to Montpelier
December 1798: Drafted Virginia Resolutions
1799: Elected to and served in Virginia Assembly
1801-9: Served as U.S. secretary of state under President Thomas Jefferson
1803-4: Drafted instructions for the Louisiana Purchase and supervised the acquisition and organization of the territory
1806: Published An Examination of the British Doctrine, Which Subjects to Capture a Neutral Trade, Not Open in Time of Peace
1809-17: Served two terms as U.S. president
June 1812-February 1815: War of 1812 against Great Britain
24-26 August 1814: British occupied and burned Washington, D.C., including the White House and U.S. Capitol
December 1814: Treaty of Ghent finalized
January 1815: United States defeat British in New Orleans
February 1815: News of Treaty of Ghent reaches Washington, D.C.
1816: Joined Board of Visitors of Virginia's Central College (later University of Virginia)
March 1817: Retired to Montpelier
1819: Selected as member of University of Virginia Board of Visitors
1826-34: Served as rector of University of Virginia
1829-30: Last public political appearance at Virginia convention to draw up new state constitution
28 June 1836: Died at Montpelier