George Madison
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| George Madison | |
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| In office August 5, 1816 – October 14, 1816 |
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| Preceded by | Isaac Shelby |
| Succeeded by | Gabriel Slaughter |
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| Born | June 1763 Augusta County, Virginia |
| Died | October 14, 1816 Paris, Kentucky |
| Political party | Democratic- Republican |
| Spouse | Jane Smith |
| Profession | Soldier & public official |
| Religion | Presbyterian[1] |
George Madison (June 1763 – October 14, 1816) was the sixth Governor of Kentucky.
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[edit] Biography
Madison was born in Augusta County, Virginia, in an area now located in Rockingham County. He was the son of John and Agatha (Strother) Madison; his brothers included the Reverend James Madison and Captain Thomas Madison. He was a second cousin to United States President James Madison. George Madison fought as a private during the Revolutionary War. He was married to Jane Smith, a Botetourt County, Virginia native, with whom he had five children; she died in 1811.
Madison moved to Kentucky with his brother Gabriel and settled near Harrodsburg, possibly as early as 1783.[2] While serving with the Kentucky militia, he was wounded twice in actions with Indians in 1791 and 1792. Madison entered political life in 1796, when he was appointed state auditor of public accounts by Governor Isaac Shelby. He held the position for 20 consecutive years before being elected governor.
In 1800, Madison became a trustee of the Kentucky Seminary in Franklin County. On December 5, 1806, he severed on the grand jury which refused to indict Aaron Burr, and was appointed director of the Bank of Kentucky later that year. During the War of 1812, Madison was a second major in the 1st Rifle Regiment of Kentucky Volunteers. He was captured at the Battle of Frenchtown, held as a prisoner of war in Quebec, and exchanged a year later. Madison returned to Kentucky following his release and was honored at a public dinner on September 6, 1814.
He gave up the office of auditor of public accounts due to failing health from tuberculosis, but became a candidate for governor following popular public demand. James Johnson, the other candidate for office, withdrew from the race out of admiration for Madison, who was elected without opposition. Madison traveled to Blue Lick Springs for his health soon after the election, but was too weak to travel back to Frankfort for the inauguration. A Boubon County justice of the peace administered the oath of office on August 5, 1816 at the springs.
His only official act of office was the appointment of Colonel Charles S. Todd as secretary of state. Madison became the first Kentucky governor to die in office on October 14, 1816. He is buried in Frankfort Cemetery.
[edit] Notes
- ^ Kentucky Governor George Madison. National Governors Association. Retrieved on 2007-03-09.
- ^ Kentucky's Governors, p. 20.
[edit] References
- "George Madison" by James F. Hopkins, Kentucky's Governors: Updated Edition (Lexington: The University Press of Kentucky), 2001.
- Eli Smith, A Funeral Sermon on the Death of Governor Madison (Frankfort: Gerard & Kendall), 1817.
[edit] Further reading
- Lewis, William Terrell (1893). Genealogy of the Lewis Family in America: From the Middle of the Seventeenth Century Down to the Present Time. Courier-Journal Job Printing Company, p. 397. Retrieved on 2008-01-10.
[edit] External links
[edit] See also
| Preceded by Isaac Shelby |
Governor of Kentucky 1816 |
Succeeded by Gabriel Slaughter |
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