Was James Madison a Worthy Opponent without Dolley?

When thinking of James Madison, it is hard to separate thoughts of him from thoughts of his wife, Dolley. She was almost always at his side, and did quite a lot to help him win political support. As Pinckney famously said, “I was beaten by Mr. and Mrs. Madison. I might have had a better chance had I faced Mr. Madison alone.” This quote by Pinckney makes me wonder – was James Madison a worthy opponent without the help of his wife Dolley?

James Madison is known as the ‘Father of the Constitution,’ in honor of all the work he put in to it. He spent four months working in his library, researching past republics to analyze what made them great and what brought them down, and used that knowledge to frame what he worked to turn America into. He also came up with the Virginia Plan, to give America the three branches of government. At the Constitutional Convention he became the unofficial scribe, writing everything out in short hand, and copying it into long hand in the evening. He also spoke over 100 times at the convention, an d provided sound, reasonable, passionate arguments to back up his stance. When the Federalists and Anti-Federalists disagreed about the Constitution, the amendments, and the Bill of Rights, Madison (working with Hamilton and Jay) drafted The Federalist Papers in order to garner support and educate the public. Clearly, Madison was a dedicated and passionate man who was willing to work hard for what he believed in. His speeches were powerful (if quiet) and he was very convincing.

However, James Madison was lacking in one area, and that was in terms of his public relations. He gave many speeches over that winter in churches and town halls to gain support, but it was really his wife, Dolley, who bought him the most ground in terms of the public. Her parties and social calls were famous, and her charm endeared her to many, on her husband’s behalf. Dolley went around, gaining support for her husband James, and won him quite a lot of favoritism, especially in a district slyly rearranged by Patrick Henry to include as many Anti-Federalists as possible. While Madison and Hamilton did strike a deal that allowed Madison to find favor with New York and win valuable votes there, Dolley’s work should not be taken for granted. James was brilliant, and good at what he did, but he didn’t have as much of Dolley’s charm and charisma to win favoritism. It’s very likely that James Madison could have found success without Dolley helping out behind the scenes, but without all of her work it is doubtful that it would have been as great of a victory for him, and it certainly would have been even harder won.

Dolley Madison, the ever charming hostess, at her Montpelier home

Sources: Montpelier, A National Trust Historic Site; Kenneth Bowling, “A Tub to the Whale”