James Monroe

James Monroe (April 28, 1758 – July 4, 1831) was the fifth (1817–1825) President of the United States. He is the author of the Monroe Doctrine, although his Secretary of State, John Quincy Adams, convinced Monroe that the original statement be expanded, and therefore softened, so as to be more palatable to the powers of Europe. There is confusion that Adams conceived the Doctrine himself, which is not true, although he did work with Monroe to flesh out the original concept.

Post-Presidency

Upon leaving the White House after Monroe's presidency expired on March 4, 1825, James Monroe had racked up debts over the years of public life. As a result, he was forced to sell off his Highland plantation (now known as Ash Lawn-Highland) to pay off the debts, since then he never financially recovered, his wife's poor health made matters worse. As a result, he and his wife Elizabeth lived in Oak Hill until Elizabeth's death on September 23, 1830. Upon Elizabeth's death, Monroe moved to live with his daughter Maria Hester Monroe Gouverneur in New York City and died there peacefully from heart failure and tuberculosis on July 4, 1831; 55 years after the Declaration of Independence was proclaimed and 5 years after the death of Presidents John Adams and Thomas Jefferson. He was originally buried in New York but, in 1858 he was reinterred in the Hollywood Cemetery at Richmond, Virginia.

Related Topics:
March 4 - 1825 - Ash Lawn-Highland - Elizabeth - Oak Hill - September 23 - 1830 - Heart failure - Tuberculosis - July 4 - 1831 - Declaration of Independence - John Adams - Thomas Jefferson - 1858 - Richmond, Virginia

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