James Monroe

Fifth president, 1817–1825

James Monroe continued the Virginia dynasty of Democratic-Republican presidents that had been interrupted only by the tenure of John Adams. As one of the last Founding Fathers to remain politically active in 1820, most people considered him to be unopposed in his 1820 bid for a second term. His success reflected the Era of Good Feelings—the period following the War of 1812 that was marked by the temporary suspension of two-party factionalism. The Monroe Doctrine, the enduring legacy of his administration, articulated opposition to European meddling in the Western Hemisphere and became a keystone of American foreign policy.

When Monroe was first elected, in 1816, the majority of voters did not know what he looked like. Earlier that year, however, his friend John Vanderlyn, who had recently returned from studying art in Paris, painted two portraits of him in Washington, D.C. Monroe gave one to his friend James Madison and kept this one. The image was quickly engraved for public dissemination. With the careful rendering of Monroe’s features, the highly finished surface, and the clarity of lighting, Vanderlyn’s painting exemplifies the French neoclassical style that was prevalent at the time.