Hello Dolley!

Dolley Madison, that is!


I became an admirer of Dolley Madison after reading Dolley by Rita Mae Brown.  It is a fictional story about wife of our fourth President, James Madison.

Eve Best as
Dolley on PBS 

As I was shelving DVD's at the library where I work, I found a PBS documentary, Dolley Madison.  I couldn't resist taking it home.  It revived my interest in Dolley's contribution to American history.  







Dolley has been credited with saving 

Gilbert Stuart's famous Lansdowne portrait of George Washington, an original draft of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution during the War of 1812.  She also began to define the role of the President's wife.  She was called The First Lady and was the first to a speak for a cause.  After the War of 1812 she worked to help the plight of the children that were orphaned as a result of the war.  She also invited members of both parties to White House entertainments.  She wanted to provide a place where they could meet each other outside their official capacity.  It is even said that she introduced "ice cream" to America. 


You can read more about Dolley on Wikipedia..by clicking of this text...and there is more.