James Monroe Quotes

James Monroe was born in Westmoreland county, Virginia, USA. He was an American politician, diplomat and soldier who served from 1817 to 1825 as the fifth President of the United States. He was the last president among the Founding Fathers of the United States as well as the Virginian dynasty. At age 16 he entered the College of William and Mary but in 1776 left to fight in the American Revolution. He took an active part in the new government, and in 1790 he was elected to the Senate of the first United States Congress, where he joined the Democratic-Republicans. He gained experience as an executive as the Governor of Virginia and rose to national prominence as a diplomat in France, when he helped negotiate the Louisiana Purchase in 1803. He served as a US Ambassador to the United Kingdom from 1803-07. During the War of 1812, he served in critical roles as Secretary of State and the Secretary of War under President James Madison.