William Henry Harrison
William Henry Harrison, the ninth president, was born into an aristocratic family in Charles City County, Virginia. His father, Benjamin Harrison, was a signer of the Declaration of Independence and a close friend of George Washington.
In 1801 he became Governor of the Indiana Territory and held that post for 12 years. In the War of 1812 Harrison was given the command of the Army in the Northwest. After leading the Army to victory in 1813, Harrison resigned from the military and returned to civilian life. He served terms in Congress and the Senate, was appointed minister to Colombia by President John Quincy Adams, and eventually retired to his farm in Ohio.
In 1840, The Whigs, in need of a national hero, nominated him for president. He won by a majority of less than 150,000, but swept the Electoral College, 234 to 60, becoming the ninth president of the United States.
Refusing to wear an overcoat on the cold and rainy day of his inauguration, Harrison caught a cold that developed into pneumonia. He died on April 4, 1841, exactly one month after becoming president.
Patrick Henry
Born in Hanover County, Virginia, and famous for his statement, "Give me liberty or give me death!" Patrick Henry was one of Virginia's leading advocates for overthrowing English rule prior to the American Revolution.
Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson was born in 1743 in Albemarle County, Virginia. He attended the College of William and Mary. At the age of 33, he drafted the Declaration of Independence. It was adopted by Congress on July 4, 1776. In 1779, Jefferson was elected governor of Virginia. Jefferson served as minister to France from 1785-1789 and was appointed secretary of state during President Washington's administration. He was elected vice-president of the United States under John Adams in 1797, and in 1801 became the third president of the United States.
As President, he authorized the purchase of a tract of land from Napoleon that extended from the Mississippi River to the Rocky Mountains. This addition - the Louisiana Purchase - more than doubled the size of the country and opened up millions of new acres to settlers in the West. He also funded the Louis and Clark expedition that explored and surveyed the Northwest.
James Madison
James Madison was born in King George County, Virginia. Madison became a member of the Virginia legislature, participated in the creation of the Virginia Constitution, and in 1776, served in the Continental Congress. He played a leading role in the debates at the Constitutional Convention of 1787 and was instrumental in framing the Constitution of the United States. Although he was honored as the "Father of the Constitution," he was too modest to accept such a title, calling it the "work of many heads and many hands." When Madison entered the White House in 1809 as the fourth president of the United States, his wife Dolly quickly became a popular hostess know for her many gala parties.
During Madison's administration, friction between the United States and the British led to the War of 1812. During one raid on Washington, British marines set fire to the White House, forcing Madison and his wife to flee into the Virginia woods.
James Monroe
James Monroe was born in Westmoreland County, Virginia. He attended the College of William and Mary, fought with distinction in the Continental Army, practiced law in Fredericksburg, Virginia, and served in the United States Congress.
Monroe planned to retire from public life, but in 1811, he was asked by President Madison to serve as secretary of state. Three years later, he became secretary of war. His ambition and energy, together with the backing of President Madison, made him the Republican choice for the Presidency in 1816. He easily won re-election in 1820.
Zachary Taylor
Zachary Taylor, the nation's twelfth president was born in Montebello, Virginia. Although Taylor had little interest in politics, he was nationally recognized as a military hero after his valiant defeat of Santa Anna at Buena Vista during the Mexican War. Near the end of President Polk's term in office, Taylor became a prominent figure, admired by northerners who liked his long military record and supported by southerners because he owned 100 slaves. The Whig party nominated him to run against Lewis Cass, the Democratic candidate, in 1848. "Old Rough and Ready" won the election by a very close popular vote. He was inaugurated on in March of 1849 at the age of 64.
On a blistering Fourth of July in 1850, Taylor participated in ceremonies at the yet-unfinished Washington Monument. Returning to the White House after hours in the broiling sun, he became violently ill. Five days later, "Old Rough and Ready" was dead.
George Washington
George Washington was born into the family of a Virginia planter. His widowed mother could not afford to send him to college, so at the age of 15, young Washington became a surveyor.
Washington spent months surveying the vast estate of Lord Fairfax, which ran from the Atlantic coast to the Allegheny Mountains. At the age of 20, he joined the militia to guard Virginia against French and Indian raiders.
When he was 27 years old, he married Martha Dandridge Custis and committed himself to a busy and happy life managing his farms and serving in the Virginia legislature. Washington soon joined with other prominent gentleman of Virginia to protest to the unjust restriction of the Stamp Act and other British regulations. At the spring 1775 meeting of the Second Continental Congress, Washington was unanimously elected Commander in Chief of the Continental Army.
After the Revolutionary War, Washington was asked to lead a Constitutional Convention in 1787. Under his guidance, the Constitution of the United States with its Bill of Rights was created. He was persuaded to serve as the country's first president and took the first presidential oath of office on April 30, 1789.
Washington retired at the end of two successful terms as President, and died at Mount Vernon on December 14, 1799.
Booker T. Washington
Born in Hales Ford, Virginia, Booker T. Washington founded Tuskeegee Institute, the first college for African Americans, in 1881 in Alabama. He was a leader in helping African Americans begin gaining equality with white people.