Who was James Monroe?

A uniter, not a divider

James Monroe in 1817, in a painting by Gilbert Stuart (National Gallery of Art)

A hero of the American Revolution. A protégé of Thomas Jefferson. A senator. A diplomat. A governor. Secretary of State. Secretary of War. No other American had a resume quite as impressive as that of James Monroe when he ran for president in 1816.

His only glaring weakness as a candidate was that he was another Virginian. Three of the four U.S. presidents to that date were tobacco farmers from his state. Monroe’s candidacy stirred fears of a “Virginia dynasty.”

As Tim McGrath noted in his outstanding 2020 book, James Monroe: A Life, a Vermont newspaper summed up the problem in jest, inventing six reasons to elect Monroe:

1^st. He was born in Virginia

2^nd. He was educated in Virginia

3^rd. He lives in Virginia.

4^th. Washington, Jefferson and Madison were and are of Virginia.

5^th. He is a friend of Virginia

6^th. The last two presidents lived in Virginia.

But Virginia-phobia didn’t keep Monroe from winning the White Hou…