Jun 15

Jun 15 The Widow Dolly's Telegraph

Dolly Madison is famous as an early First Lady of the United States.

Less well known is her importance as a leader in Washington society well after the American Founding.

Dolly Madison

By 1794, Dolly Payne had lost a great deal.

The 28-year-old Philadelphia resident had lost several family members, including her husband and son, to the yellow fever epidemic.

It was then that she made the acquaintance of Aaron Burr. Burr introduced Dolly to his old college buddy...James Madison.

National Hostess

By the end of the year, Dolly married the Congressman who was 17 years her senior (and fresh off writing the Bill of Rights).

A few years later, James became Secretary of State and the Madison’s moved to the newly built Washington, D.C. where Dolly would remain a fixture for the next several decades.

She acted as a sometime-hostess for President Thomas Jefferson (whose wife passed away two decades earlier), sharing these duties with one of his daughters.

Making Washington

When Jefferson retired, James Madison became the fourth President of the United States.

Dolly became the third First Lady (after Martha Washington and Abigail Adams) but, in a way, set the standard for the unofficial office for future presidential wives.

She was known for throwing the best parties and leading society in a way that her bookworm husband could not.

Dolly was at the lead in developing the culture of this brand new city.

The Widow Dolly

After James’ two terms as President, the Madison’s retired to Virginia.

They spent two decades there until James passed away.

Now 68 years old, Dolly struggled to make ends meet. She decided the best thing to do was return the city she helped create...Washington.

When she made her triumphant return, everyone was excited to see her. It was said that a party wasn’t a party without The Widow Dolly in attendance.

Telegraphs and Photographs

Dolly lived until 1849, a surprisingly late date for an American Founder.

During this time, the Telegraph was invented and a line run from Washington to Baltimore.

To promote the new device to the public, the operators considered having President Tyler send an early telegram. However, they decided he was not popular enough and instead went with everyone’s favorite citizen...Dolly Madison.

In her the last year of her life, Mrs. Madison had a daguerreotype taken. Look at the image at the beginning of this article. That is an actual picture of an 81-year-old American Founder.

Want to read about more FOUNDING MOTHERS?

Great! Check out these articles:

Phillis Wheatley - From Slave Girl to Master Poet

Martha Bratton - Explosions, Death Threats and Huck’s Defeat

The Adventures of Eliza Schuyler Hamilton

Do you want a good book on the fascinating life of Dolly Madison?

If so, I recommend ‘A Perfect Union’ which looks at her involvement with the creation of the United States.

Pick up a copy through the Amazon affiliate link below…