James Monroe

James Monroe was born in 1758 in Westmoreland County, Virginia, the son of a planter. He left the College of William & Mary to join the Continental Army, crossed the Delaware with George Washington, and was wounded at the Battle of Trenton in 1776. Afterward he studied law under Thomas Jefferson, who became his mentor and friend. Monroe served in the Continental Congress, as a senator, as governor of Virginia, and as a diplomat in France, where he helped negotiate the Louisiana Purchase in 1803, and in Britain and Spain. Under President James Madison he was secretary of state and also secretary of war during the War of 1812. He was elected president in 1816 and reelected in 1820 almost without opposition, in a period called the 'Era of Good Feelings'. During his presidency the United States acquired Florida from Spain and the Missouri Compromise was passed. In 1823 he declared that the Americas were closed to further European colonization, a policy later called the Monroe Doctrine. He died in New York City on July 4, 1831.

James Monroe is also an author in the library: author page and works.

Faith: Raised Anglican; historians say less is known about his religious views than any other president's. Source: Wikipedia