Page:Encyclopedia of Virginia Biography volume 2.djvu/381

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VIRGINIA BIOGRAPHY


in 1838. during Prentiss's canvass for con- gress, McXuti's slovenly dress and intem- perate habits forminj^ a target for his wit. >1cXuit subsequenily reformed, and ac- cimiuhited a large fortune from his prac- tice, ile was a Democrat in politics, and yielded in debate to none but Prentiss, whom, after the canvass of 1838. he reso- lutely refused ever to meet on the "stump " He died in Do Soto county. Mississippi. Oc- tober 22. 184S.

Madison, James, born near Port Republic. Rockingham county ( formerly Augusta county I. August 27. 1749. son of John Madi- son, first clerk of Augusta county. His f::ther and Ambrose Madison, the grand- father i)f James Madison. President of the United States, were brothers. He went first to an academy in Maryland, thence in I7f>8 to William and Mary College, where on July 29. 1772. he received the gold medal awarded as a prize by Lord Botetourt for classical learning. He was writing master at the college until May. 1773. when he was appointed professor of natural philosophy. He studied law under George Wythe, but abandoned the profession after a single case, and aided by fifty pounds from the board of visitors, visited England in 1775, and took orders. In November, 1775, he again at- tended as professor of natural philosophy at the college, and in October, 1777. suc- ceeded John Camm as president of the insti- tution, being then only twenty-eight years of age. Mr. Madison supported with great zeal the cause of the revolution, and in con- nection with Thomas Jefferson, a mem- ber of the college visitors, procured an en- tire reform of the course pursufcd at Wil- liam and Mary College. Under their aus-


pices the elective system of study was in- troduced, the honor system established, and by the addition of the chairs of medicine, law and modern languages, the college was made a university. Dr. James McClurg was called to the medical chair. George Wythe to the law chair, and Charles IJellini to the chair of modern languages. Thus the col- lege became the first in America to practice the elective system, and to support chairs for the study of municipal law and the modern languages. It was second only to the College of Philadelphia in establishing a medical chair, which was. however, con- tinued only fur a very few years. In 1785 he presided over the first convention of the Episcopal church in X'irginia. and in 1790 was elected first bishop of the diocese, and he was consecrated in the chapel of Lam- beth palace on September 19. of that year, by Archbishop Moore, of Canterbury^ being the last prelate of the American church to receive consecration from the bishops of the Anglican church. Bishop Madison pub- lished a "Eulogy on Washington** (1800). He was married, in 1779. to Sarah Tate, of Williamsburg, a granddaughter of William Cocke, formerly secretary of the colony. She died August 20. 1815, leaving one son, John Catcsby Madison, and one daughter, who married Robert G. Scott, a distinguish- ed lawyer of X'irginia. A brother of Bishop Madison. George Madison, became governor of Kentucky. Bishop Madison died March 6, 1812. His remains lie interred in the chapel of the College of William and Mary.

Jameson, David, born August 19. 1752, in Culpeper county ( then Orange), son of Cap- tain Thomas Jameson: served in the revolu- tion, fought at Great Bridge. Norfolk coun-


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