On September 15, 1794, Dolley Payne Todd married James Madison. When her husband became President of the United States in 1809, the vivacious Dolley Madison revolutionized the role of First Lady. Known as “America’s Queen,” she successfully established Washington and the White House as the nation’s epicenter.
Born in 1768 and previously widowed with one son, Dolley was introduced to James Madison in May of 1794, marrying him four months later. When President Thomas Jefferson appointed her husband Secretary of State in 1801, Dolley played a crucial role in furnishing and decorating the newly built White House. She often co-hosted Jefferson’s White House parties, making her privy to political conversations. When James Madison became President in 1809, Dolley organized the first ever Presidential Inaugural Ball and changed the White House party culture as First Lady. Departing from the previous somber tone of White House get-togethers, Dolley’s popular parties were boisterous, fun and relaxed. Known for her elegant style, Dolley was the “hostess with the mostest,” skilled at introducing important politicians and keeping conversations cordial even between enemies. Her parties changed Washington culture by setting a precedent that encouraged even political rivals to regularly socialize.
Dolley proved her fierce patriotism during the War of 1812, the major crisis of her husband’s administration. As the British were in the process of burning down Washington, Dolley rescued the famous Gilbert Stuart portrait of George Washington and other important papers from the White House before fleeing to Virginia for safety. Understanding the symbolism of the White House and dedicated to keeping up appearances despite the brutal attack, Dolley returned to the greatly damaged capital a few days later.
After Madison’s tenure as President ended in 1817, the couple retired to their plantation, Montepelier, in Virginia. After James Madison died in 1836, Dolley returned to Washington and lived there until her death in 1849. Dolley set an important blueprint of decorum for all the future FLOTUS’s that would follow in her fashionable footsteps.