The Peabody Award‑winning series profiling the men who have served as chief executive of the United States.

James MonroeView Program

5th President - James Monroe
Born: April 28, 1758
Died: July 4, 1831

  • Personal
  • First Lady: Elizabeth Monroe
  • Children: 3
  • Education Level: College
  • School Attended: College of William and Mary
  • Profession: Military, Lawyer
  • Military Service: Lieutenant Colonel
  • Public Service
  • Dates of Presidency: March 4, 1817 - March 3, 1825
  • # of Terms: 2
  • Vice President: Daniel D. Tompkins
  • Party: Democratic-Republican
  • Cabinet Service: Secretary of State (James Madison, 1811-1817), Secretary of War (James Madison, 1814-1815)
  • Governor: Virginia (1799-1802, 1811)
  • Senator: Virginia (1790-1794)
  • Colonial Government: Virginia Assembly (1782-1783), Continental Congress (1783-1786)
  • Other Offices: Minister to France; Special Envoy to Paris; Minister to Great Britain
  • Did You Know?
  • He agreed to purchase Florida from Spain in 1819.
  • He issued the Monroe Doctrine, a policy concerned with both Latin America and the Northwest Territories.
  • His presidency was known as "The Era of Good Feelings," despite a serious recession in 1819.
  • In the election of 1820, he received all but one vote from the electoral college.
  • Did You Know?
  • He agreed to purchase Florida from Spain in 1819.
  • He issued the Monroe Doctrine, a policy concerned with both Latin America and the Northwest Territories.
  • His presidency was known as "The Era of Good Feelings," despite a serious recession in 1819.
  • In the election of 1820, he received all but one vote from the electoral college.
  • He left the Executive Mansion in debt and resorted to living with his daughter and her in-laws in New York City.
  • Elizabeth Monroe played an important role in saving Lafayette’s wife from imprisonment and death by the guillotine when she accompanied her husband to France in 1794, during the French Revolution.
  • At the time of his election, almost 9 million people lived in the U.S.
  • "The earth was given to mankind to support the greatest number of which it is capable, and no tribe or people have a right to withhold from the wants of others more than is necessary for their own support and comfort."
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About This Series

The Peabody Award-winning series profiles the men who have served as chief executive of the United States. This website, created as a companion to C-SPAN's 20th anniversary television series, provides an in-depth look at each of the presidents, their lives, families and administrations.