Katherine H. Purdy

I couldn’t let today go by without remembering James Madison. One hundred and seventy-four years ago, the last of the Founding Fathers passed away at the age of 84 years old. Days before he passed, friends had been encouraging him to take some stimulants to help him live until the 4th of July and the 60th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. If he had died to the 4th, he would have had the same date of death as John Adams, Thomas Jefferson and James Monroe. At his death, he was the last of the Founding Fathers.

Paul Jennings, a personal manservant and slave of James Madison, was with Mr. Madison at his death. Below is the account of his last moments:

“I  was always with Mr. Madison till he died, and shaved him every other day for  sixteen years. For six months before his death, he…