Dolley Payne was born to wealthy parents in Guilford County, North Carolina, and was educated in Quaker schools. She married John Todd Jr. in 1790, but he died three years later during a yellow-fever epidemic in Philadelphia. In 1794 she married James Madison. The Madisons moved to Washington D.C. when President Thomas Jefferson appointed James secretary of state in 1801. During Jefferson’s presidency, Dolley Madison served as White House hostess, because Jefferson was a widower. She became first lady in 1809 when her husband became president. In 1814, during the War of 1812, she rescued George Washington’s portrait, important papers, and other treasures when the British burned the White House. In 1817 Dolley Madison retired with her husband to their Virginia plantation, where she entertained many important visitors for the next 20 years. After her husband’s death in 1836, she returned to Washington to live. Her home near the White House was the center of Washington society until her death.
