The “Father of the Constitution,” Madison was the son of a leading Virginia landowner. His 5,000-acre Montpelier estate and plantation yielded rich tobacco profits and was the largest estate in Orange County, Va. Educated at the College of New Jersey (now Princeton University), Madison also served as secretary of state under Thomas Jefferson.

Jason Bean/The Christian Science Monitor/File
This file photo shows Independence Hall in Philadelphia, where James Madison helped draft the US Constitution in 1787.