James Madison was a Tiny Man
Madison was born in Virginia into a well-known plantation family. During and after the American Revolutionary War, he served as a representative for Virginia in the House of Delegates and in the Continental Congress. He assisted in setting up the Constitutional Convention, which produced a new constitution, after becoming disenchanted with the inadequate national government created by the Articles of Confederation.
The Convention's discussions were based on Madison's Virginia Plan, and he had a significant influence on the proceedings. He joined John Jay and Alexander Hamilton in co-authoring The Federalist Papers, a collection of essays advocating for the ratification of the Constitution that is still regarded as one of the most important works of political science in American history. He later rose to prominence as one of the leaders of the movement to ratify the Constitution.
A president may come to mind as a mythical figure. The fact that some presidents were actually very big helps. Abe Lincoln stood 6' 4". Donald Trump and Lyndon Johnson were both around 6 feet 3 in. tall. But if Lincoln is the tallest—and he was—then the smallest of those 46 men must be. James Madison was the smallest President in history, and it takes some time to fully grasp exactly how little a man he was. He was little in stature and rumored to be very light as well.
Madison was listed as being 5-foot-4 in official records. He appeared to weigh approximately 100 pounds all the time. Typically, someone that height would be considered underweight. It was also claimed that he spoke so softly that it was difficult to understand him when he gave speeches.
- 4th President of the United States
Born: James Madison Jr., March 16, 1751Port Conway, Virginia, British America
Died: June 28, 1836 (aged 85)Montpelier, Virginia, U.S.
