First Lady

Society of Friends.

Dorothy Payne Todd Madison, the wife of President James Madison, was born in Guilford County, North Carolina, on 20 May 1768. Her parents, John and Mary Coles Payne, owned slaves but set them free soon after Dorothy was born. The Paynes then joined the Society of Friends and moved to Philadelphia. They raised their daughter in the Quaker faith, and in 1790 she married a young lawyer named John Todd Jr. The marriage was brief; in 1793 Todd died unexpectedly and left his wife and newborn son, John Payne, with little money. As a result Dorothy Payne Todd went to live in her mother's boardinghouse in the city.

Beauty of Philadelphia.

At this time the widow relinquished her beliefs in the Quaker faith and began to dress in a more stylish manner. All who met her commented on the beauty and cheerful...