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Preferred Citation:

Bishop James Madison Letter to the Speaker of the House of Delegates concerning Eastern State Hospital, Special Collections Research Center, Swem Library, College of William and Mary.

Acquisition Information:

Acc. 2013.069 was hand-delivered to Special Collections by the donor on 4/19/2013.

Processing Information:

Accessioned and minimally described by Steven Bookman, University Archives Specialist, in May 2013.

Biographical Information:

The Right Reverend James Madison (August 27, 1749 - March 6, 1812) was the first bishop of the Diocese of Virginia of the Episcopal Church, USA. He was also a student (1770-1772), professor of philosophy (1772-1775), and president (1777-1812) of the College of William and Mary. Madison was born near Staunton, Virginia, Madison was a cousin of President James Madison. He graduated in 1771 from the College of William and Mary and was admitted to the bar, though he did not practice law. Madison taught philosophy and mathematics at the college from 1773 to 1775, when he went to England to be ordained a priest of the Church of England. In 1777, he was elected president of William and Mary, serving until his death in 1812. Madison served as chaplain of the Virginia House of Delegates in 1777 and organized his students into a militia company. He presided over the first convention of the Diocese of Virginia in 1785 and was consecrated bishop on September 19, 1790, in Canterbury, England.

Scope and Contents

Letter, 1788 October 31, Bishop James Madison, Williamsburg, to the Speaker of the House of Delegates of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia. Concerns Bishop Madison request to the General Assembly of Virginia funds to support the Eastern State Hospital for Lunatics. Also included is a lithograph of Bishop James Madison. The letter and lithograph were given by Harry Krauss in honor of professor David L. Holmes.

Subjects and Indexing Terms

• College of William and Mary--Presidents
• Eastern State Hospital (Va.)--History--18th century
• Letters (correspondence)
• Lithographs
• Williamsburg (Va.)--History--18th century