James Madison slowly sat up in bed. He felt very weak that morning. The sun had just risen, and soon the enslaved maid Sukey would bring him his breakfast from the basement kitchen.

But it irritated him that he couldn’t eat it at the dining table. The eighty-five year old “Father of the Constitution” had been confined to his bed for six months. Rheumatism and liver dysfunction crippled him.

Madison still had animated conversations with his family and visitors. But he knew he wouldn’t last much longer. Fortunately, he had everything in order. Most of his goods and property would go to his beloved wife Dolley. Some money and books to the University of Virginia. But Madison was fading fast.

As the June days slipped by, his family wondered if he would make it to July 4th. Two of his best friends died on the 4th of July in recent years. Thomas Jefferson and James Monroe. Would Madison become the fourth president to join the 4th of July death club?

Either way, it wouldn’t matter. He was the last of the Founding Fathers.

This Week in Virginia History is a member of the Virginia Audio Collective. Online at VirginiaAudio.org.