Madison folklore

Tiffany Cole

As with many famous folks, the internet abounds with questionable folklore, spurious quotes, and outright falsities concerning James and Dolley Madison. It has long been repeated that James Madison, notoriously diminutive in stature, stood 5’4”. However, in documentary records...

Dolley Madison's Election Fatigue

Curatorial Department

On April 12, 1823, former First Lady Dolley Madison closed a newsy letter to her son John Payne Todd with this comment: