Dolley Madison

Dolley Madison was the wife of James Madison and an important organiser of political society in Washington. As First Lady she used receptions and personal networks to bring rivals together, and during the War of 1812 she left the White House shortly before British troops entered the capital.

In Barbara Hambly’s Patriot Hearts, Dolley’s social skill, marriage and wartime experience connect the private world of the presidential household to the unstable politics of the early republic.