Bill Text: VA SJR381 | 2019 | Regular Session | Enrolled
Bill Title: Commending The National Society of Madison Family Descendants.
Spectrum: Bipartisan Bill
Status: (Passed) 2019-02-20 - Bill text as passed Senate and House (SJ381ER) [SJR381 Detail]
Download: Virginia-2019-SJR381-Enrolled.html
WHEREAS, on March 4, 2019, the nation will celebrate the 210th anniversary of James Madison's inauguration as President of the United States; and
WHEREAS, President James Madison, more than any other single individual, successfully engineered the framing and ratifying of the Constitution that has ensured the freedom, peace, and prosperity this nation has enjoyed for more than two centuries; furthermore, in the first Congress, he served as chief architect and principal advocate for America's Bill of Rights, the 10 amendments that have protected those liberties retained by the people; and
WHEREAS, the collateral descendants of President James Madison formed an association, The National Society of Madison Family Descendants, to perpetuate the memory of his political achievements, foster fellowship among his lawful collateral descendants, share family research, and support activities which develop these goals, including preservation of family landmarks; and
WHEREAS, the members of The National Society of Madison Family Descendants aided the restoration of President James Madison's Orange County family estate, Montpelier, through significant individual financial contributions and by assisting in the identification, location, and encouragement of donations of family furniture, paintings, porcelain, and various works of art original to the house; and
WHEREAS, the collateral lawful descendants of President James Madison, both before and since the formation of The National Society of Madison Family Descendants, have maintained, restored, and preserved the Madison Family Cemetery at Montpelier, a private family cemetery created upon the burial of Ambrose Madison in 1732, belonging to the descendants of Ambrose Madison, and in which President James Madison and his wife Dolley Payne Todd Madison are buried; and
WHEREAS, The National Society of Madison Family Descendants uniquely continues to foster and encourage an authentic understanding of the political, philosophical, and moral legacy of President James Madison and his wife, Dolley Payne Todd Madison, both among its membership and to the benefit of a national audience, as well as internationally via the many collateral descendants of the family in England and elsewhere abroad; and
WHEREAS, President James Madison, in his first inaugural address, admonished his fellow citizens "to support the Constitution, which is the cement of the Union, as well in its limitations as in its authorities; to respect the rights and authorities reserved to the States and to the people as equally, incorporated with and essential to the success of the general system; to avoid the slightest interference with the right of conscience or the functions of religion, so wisely exempted from civil jurisdiction; to preserve in their full energy the other salutary provisions in behalf of private and personal rights"; and
WHEREAS, President James Madison, also in his first inaugural address, said that his "confidence will under every difficulty be best placed, next to that which we have all been encouraged to feel in the guardianship and guidance of that Almighty Being whose power regulates the destiny of nations, whose blessings have been so conspicuously dispensed to this rising Republic, and to whom we are bound to address our devout gratitude for the past, as well as our fervent supplications and best hopes for the future"; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED by the Senate, the House of Delegates concurring, That the General Assembly hereby commend The National Society of Madison Family Descendants for their unique guardianship and perpetuation of the historic legacies of President James Madison and Dolley Payne Todd Madison; and, be it
RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the Senate prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to Frederick Madison Smith, president of The National Society of Madison Family Descendants, as an expression of the General Assembly's admiration and support for the family's noble aims and notable achievements.
