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Presidents
By Steve Grant

Fourth President of the United States. Borne March 16, 1751 in Port Conway, Va. Graduate of Princeton U. in 1772, remaining at the school another year to study Hebrew. He was a member of the Continental Congress from 1780-83, and of the Constitutional Convention of 1787. In 1787-88 he cooperated with Hamilton and Jay in writing a series of papers, published under the title of The Federalist, which explained the new constitution and advocated its adoption. He was a member of the U.S. house of representatives from 1787-97, and a leader of the Democratic-Republican party in opposition to Hamilton's financial measures. With Jefferson, he drafted the Virginia Resolutions of 1798 which were inspired by resentment at the Federalist alien and sedition laws.

He was U.S. secretary of state from 1801-09, and President of the U.S. 1809-17.
From 1826-36 he was rector of the U. of Virginia. died June 28, 1836.
His Masonic membership has never been proved and has been a matter of debate for many years. Many researchers, including James M. Clift, former grand secretary of the Grand Lodge of Virginia, think Madison was a member of Hiram Lodge No. 59, Westmoreland Court House, Virginia.

This lodge was granted a temporary dispensation Sept. 20, 1799, and a permanent charter Dec. 11, 1799, becoming dormant about 1814. All records were lost or destroyed. In recent years there has come to light a letter dated Feb. 11, 1795, written to Madison by John Francis Mercer, q.v.,governor of Maryland. It is in the library of Congress. Mercer stated ". . . I have had no opportunity of congratulating you before on your becoming a Free Mason-a very ancient and honorable fraternity. I am sure you are now much wiser and I do not doubt you are much happier, although you were very wise and happy before, at least in my opinion.
I hold a lodge on your road, pray let me take you some time by the hand in it, and let Mrs. Mercer welcome the fair prophetess who has converted you to the true faith . . ." R. Baker Harris, librarian of the Supreme Council, S.J. thinks the "fair prophetess" refers to his new wife, Dolly, and that she had encouraged him to become a Mason. If this is true, however, then he could not have been initiated in Hiram Lodge No. 59, as its first dispensation was dated five years later than the above letter. John Dove, early-day grand secretary of the Grand Lodge of Viriginia stated that Madison was one of the original founders of Hiram Lodge No. 59. It is possible, therefore, that he was initiated in some unknown lodge and affiliated with the Hiram lodge as a charter member. On Sept 20, 1817, Madison marched in procession with Widow's Son Lodge No. 60 and Charlottesville Lodge No. 90 to lay the cornerstone of Central College at Charlottesville, Va. On June 24, 1820 Madison and Andrew Jackson partook of a public dinner "with the fraternity of Free Masons" at Louisville, Ky. Dolly Madison treasured a notice of a meeting of Alexandria Lodge No. 39 for many years. It had been sent to George Washington. The notice is now in the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania library. On March 28, 1801 a dispensation was issued for Madison Lodge No. 64, Madison Court House, Va. The best evidence of his membership, however, is in the attacks made on him during the anti-Masonic period when he was taunted for being a Freemason.