James Madison (1751–1836) was a Founding Father of the United States and its fourth president, serving from March 4, 1809, to March 4, 1817. Dubbed the "Father of the Constitution" for his role in creating the U.S. Constitution, he had been dissatisfied with the weak government under the Articles of Confederation, and helped organize the Constitutional Convention of 1787. He then joined Alexander Hamilton and John Jay in writing The Federalist Papers, a series of essays that remains prominent, and served in Congress. With Thomas Jefferson, Madison organized the Democratic-Republican Party, and was Jefferson's secretary of state from 1801 to 1809. Madison was elected president in 1808, was re-elected in 1812, and led the U.S. in the War of 1812, which convinced him of the need for a stronger federal government. He presided over the creation of the Second Bank of the United States and the passage of the protective Tariff of 1816. Historians have ranked him as an above-average president. (Full article...)