James Monroe
The last president of the Revolutionary generation, he presided over an 'Era of Good Feelings' and boldly warned European powers to stay out of the Americas.
1758–1831 (age 73)·Founding Father, U.S. president from 1817 to 1825·Birthday: April 28
Biography
James Monroe's life was a thread woven through the entire fabric of America's founding. He dropped out of college to join the Continental Army, was wounded at Trenton, and carried the banner of revolution into politics. His presidency was less about dramatic innovation and more about consolidation and confident assertion. Taking office after the bitter War of 1812, he oversaw a rare moment of national unity and one-party rule, a period so calm it was dubbed the 'Era of Good Feelings.' His administration acquired Florida from Spain and shepherded the Missouri Compromise, a temporary patch on the nation's growing sectional wound. But his most enduring act was a defiant statement of American sovereignty. With his Secretary of State John Quincy Adams, Monroe declared the Western Hemisphere closed to new European colonization, a policy that bore his name. The Monroe Doctrine was audacious for a still-young nation, a claim of hemispheric leadership that would define U.S. foreign policy for centuries.
#1 When James Was Born
The biggest hits of 1758
James's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1758Born
1763Started school
1771Became a teenager
1774Could drive
1776Could vote
1779Turned 21
1788Turned 30
1798Turned 40
1808Turned 50
1818Turned 60
1828Turned 70
1831Died at 73
Key Achievements
- Issued the Monroe Doctrine in 1823, defining a core principle of American foreign policy against European colonialism in the Americas.
- Presided over the acquisition of Florida from Spain through the Adams–Onís Treaty of 1819.
- Signed the Missouri Compromise in 1820, temporarily balancing slave and free states.
- Served in more high-level offices than any other American before him: U.S. Senator, Governor of Virginia, Minister to France and Britain, Secretary of State, and Secretary of War.
Did You Know?
He is the only person besides George Washington to run unopposed for re-election to the presidency, winning all but one electoral vote in 1820.
His inauguration in 1817 was the first to be held outdoors in Washington, D.C.
He died on July 4, 1831, exactly five years after both Thomas Jefferson and John Adams.
The capital of Liberia, Monrovia, is named after him for his support of the American Colonization Society's efforts to send freed slaves to Africa.
““National honor is national property of the highest value.””
