James madison biography papers library of congress

The Papers of James Madison project was established in 1956 to collect and publish in a comprehensive letterpress edition the correspondence and other writings of James Madison, the fourth president of the United States.

The volumes provide accurate texts of Madison's incoming and outgoing correspondence, newspaper essays, speeches, and pamphlets. The texts are accompanied by informative annotation and made accessible through comprehensive indexes.

They are valuable research tools for students of Madison's life and those interested in the general history of the period in which Madison lived (1751–1836).

Editors in chief

• William T. Hutchinson and William M.

  E. Rachal (1956–1971)

• Robert A. Rutland (1971–1986)
• John C. A. Stagg (1987–present)

James Madison's papers

Unlike the large volume of personal documents surviving his compatriots George Washington and Thomas Jefferson, comparatively few papers exist to chronicle James M