The Lives and Times of Our Founding Fathers - 19
In this post: Arthur Middleton, Dolley Madison, Benjamin Harrison
Founding Fathers Series
Step into history like never before.
Starting today and on a daily basis (Mon thru Fri), we will be posting 2 to 3 videos, about 5 minutes worth of videos, presenting the signers of the Declaration of Independence and the ladies of the American Revolution come alive through vivid, first-person storytelling.
This Series will be tagged on the right column of our blog as Founding Father Series
You may not know some, that does not devalue the contributions they provided in the founding of our country.
Their courage, sacrifice, and triumph unfold in gripping moments that shaped America’s founding.
Arthur Middleton
Arthur Middleton (June 26, 1742 – January 1, 1787) was a Founding Father of the United States and a signer of the United States Declaration of Independence. He represented South Carolina in the Second Continental Congress. Middleton was born in Charleston, Province of South Carolina, to Henry Middleton and Mary Baker Williams. His father, Henry Middleton, was a wealthy planter and a politically active figure who also served as president of the First Continental Congress. Arthur Middleton’s birthplace, Middleton Place, remains a significant family residence and houses America’s oldest landscaped gardens, initiated by his father.
Middleton received his education in England, studying law at the Middle Temple and attending schools such as Hackney School, Harrow School, Westminster School, and Trinity Hall, Cambridge. He traveled extensively in Europe, developing an appreciation for literature, music, and art. In 1764, he returned to South Carolina and settled at Middleton Place with his bride, Mary Izard. Arthur Middleton was a more radical thinker than his father and became deeply interested in South Carolina politics, supporting the American cause. He was elected to succeed his father in the Second Continental Congress in 1776, where he voted for independence and signed the Declaration of Independence.
Dolley Madison
Dolley Todd Madison (née Payne; May 20, 1768 – July 12, 1849) was the wife of James Madison, the fourth president of the United States from 1809 to 1817. Born Dolley Payne in Guilford County, North Carolina, her family later moved to Virginia and then Philadelphia, where her father opened a starch business that eventually failed. Her first marriage was to Quaker lawyer John Todd Jr. in 1790, with whom she had two sons. Tragically, in 1793, a yellow fever epidemic claimed both her husband and one of their children, leaving her a widow with her surviving son, John Payne Todd. She later met James Madison through Aaron Burr and they married on September 15, 1794. Because James Madison was not a Quaker, Dolley relinquished her Quaker faith.
Dolley Madison became well-known for her hospitality and for establishing herself at the center of Washington's social scene. She was recognized for holding Washington social functions that included members of both political parties, which is considered to have initiated the concept of bipartisan cooperation. She helped define the role of the president's spouse, a function she sometimes performed for the widowed Thomas Jefferson when James Madison served as his Secretary of State. Her warm demeanor effectively increased James Madison's popularity. Historians consistently rank her among the most highly regarded First Ladies.
One of her most famous actions occurred on August 24, 1814, during the War of 1812, when British forces invaded Washington and burned the White House. Before fleeing, Dolley Madison directed enslaved and free workers to remove the Gilbert Stuart portrait of George Washington and ensured it was carried to safety. After James Madison's death in 1836, Dolley faced significant financial difficulties due to the Panic of 1837 and her son's debts, which forced her to sell their plantation, Montpelier, and the enslaved families. She later returned to Washington, D.C., and was known as a beloved matriarch.
Benjamin Harrison
Benjamin Harrison V (April 5, 1726 – April 24, 1791) was an American planter, merchant, and politician who was a Founding Father of the United States. He served as a delegate to the United States Continental Congress and was a signer of the Continental Association and the Declaration of Independence. Harrison also held the position of Virginia's governor from 1781 to 1784. Born to a wealthy family in Virginia, he inherited his family's plantation, Berkeley, after his father's death and followed in his father's footsteps by becoming a politician, representing his town in the Virginia House of Burgesses. He was the third child of ten, but as the first son, the family name passed to him, continuing a tradition carried for four previous generations.
Benjamin Harrison V is also notable for his family lineage. He was the father of William Henry Harrison, who became the ninth President of the United States, and the great-grandfather of Benjamin Harrison (1833-1901), who served as the 23rd President of the United States from 1889 to 1893. His father, Benjamin Harrison IV, was a member of the House of Burgesses and Sheriff of Charles City. The Harrison family of Virginia was one of the First Families of Virginia and among the wealthiest and most prosperous in the state.