James Madison (1751–1836) Email Share Permalink https://americaspresidents.si.edu/portrait/james-madison Facebook Twitter Tumblr Pinterest James “Jemmy” Madison may have been the shortest president at just five feet, but his true stature derived from his intellect. He coauthored, with Alexander Hamilton and John Jay, the Federalist Papers (1787–88), a set of eighty-five essays arguing for the ratification of the Constitution, which remain among the greatest expressions of American political thought. Concerned that the Constitution tilted too far toward the interests of the federal government and neglected the individual, Madison wrote the first ten amendments, known as the Bill of Rights.