October 23-25, 1786
In October 1786, James Monroe and his wife, Elizabeth Kortright Monroe, visited Washington at Mount Vernon while en route to their new home in Fredericksburg, Virginia. The couple was accompanied by James Madison, Monroe’s longtime friend and fellow Virginian statesman.
Earlier that month, Monroe had written to Madison from New York suggesting that they travel south together and stop at Mount Vernon:
Will you be there on our arrival & take a seat with us in a spacious carriage to Fredricksbg? [Do?] you intend visiting the Genl. before you get to Richmond, in that event we wod. go togeth[er].
Both men had recently participated in the young nation’s early efforts toward constitutional reform—the Annapolis Convention had just concluded in September—and they shared a keen interest in the future of the Union.
Washington’s diary notes that on Monday, October 23, “Colo. Monroe, his Lady and Mr. Maddison came in” to Mount Vernon, arriving on a calm, clear autumn day. They remained two nights as Washington’s guests, departing Wednesday, October 25, after breakfast for Fredericksburg. Washington recorded that morning as “clear, warm & pleasant,” ideal for the journey ahead.
This brief visit brought together three future presidents—Washington, Madison, and Monroe—at a pivotal moment in American history. Within the following year, each would play a crucial role in shaping the Constitutional Convention that gave structure to the new republic.