James Madison

From Special Collections Research Center Wiki

The Right Reverend James Madison (August 27, 1749 - March 6, 1812) was the first bishop of the Diocese of Virginia of the Episcopal Church, USA. He was also a student (1770-1772), professor of philosophy (1772-1775), and president (1777-1812) of the College of William and Mary. Madison was born near Staunton, Virginia, Madison was a cousin of U.S. President James Madison. He graduated in 1771 from the College of William and Mary and was admitted to the bar, though he did not practice law. Madison taught philosophy and mathematics at the college from 1773 to 1775, when he went to England to be ordained a priest of the Church of England. In 1777, he was elected president of William and Mary, serving until his death in 1812. Madison served as chaplain of the Virginia House of Delegates in 1777 and organized his students into a militia company. He presided over the first convention of the Diocese of Virginia in 1785 and was consecrated bishop on September 19, 1790, in Canterbury, England.

Material in SCRC

• Bishop James Madison, Special Collections Research Center, Earl Gregg Swem Library.

External Links

• "A Biographical Sketch of Bishop James Madison", by Emma Powers, Colonial Williamsburg

• "Bishop James Madison and the Republic of Virtue", by Charlse Crowe, in The Journal of Southern History, Vol. 30, No. 1 (Feb., 1964), pp. 58 - 70.

Preceded by	College of William and Mary President	Succeeded by
John Camm 1771 - 1777	James Madison 1777 - 1812	John Bracken 1812 - 1814

A note about the information in this wiki

Unfortunately, many of the early original records of the College of William and Mary were destroyed by fire, military occupation, and the normal effects of time. The information available here is the best available from known documents and sources at the time it was written. Information in this wiki is not complete as new information continues to be uncovered in the SCRC's collections and elsewhere. Researchers are strongly encouraged to use the SCRC's access tools for their research as the information contained in this wiki is by no means comprehensive.