Share on Facebook

James Monroe Biography

U.S. President

James Monroe served one term as governor of Virginia, then was sent to France by Thomas Jefferson to negotiate the Louisiana Purchase. An officer during the American Revolution, Monroe was an all-around statesman whose career included stints as congressman, senator, foreign diplomat and cabinet member. In 1811 he was appointed Secretary of State under President James Madison, and in 1816 Monroe won the presidential election. He was easily re-elected in 1820 (winning 231 of 232 electoral votes), and his administration was termed "The Era of Good Feelings", a time when the United States focused on expansion and ignored the troubles of the European nations. He is famous for the Monroe Doctrine (1823), which proclaimed U.S. hostility toward any European intervention in the Americas.

Extra credit: Monrovia, the capital of Liberia, is named after President Monroe... Monroe's was the first inauguration held outdoors... He was married to Elizabeth Kortright Monroe in 1786. He died less than a year after she died... Monroe died on 4 July 1831, five years to the day after Jefferson and John Adams... He was succeeded by John Quincy Adams.

To read about The Monroe Doctrine, see our loop Who's What.

Monroe makes a guest appearance in our loop Presidents Elected in "0" Years, which features the stories of William Henry Harrison and others.

Blog posts mentioning James Monroe:

• A Salute to the American Presidency Project
• Happy Semiquincentennial, James Monroe!