John Adams
The great-great-grandson of Pilgrims John and Priscilla Alden, John Adams was the first president whose child was elected president (John Quincy Adams was the sixth U.S. president). Adams was born in 1735 and practiced law in Boston before gaining prominence as a political thinker and writer. A delegate to the Continental Congress from Massachusetts, he was one of just five men selected to draft the Declaration of Independence. Adams and his successor Thomas Jefferson were the only presidents who signed the Declaration of Independence. Both men died on the 50th anniversary of that signing, July 4, 1826.

Dolley Madison
The wife of the fourth President, James Madison, Dolley was an extremely popular First Lady. In 1814 she saved many state papers and a portrait of George Washington from the advancing British soldiers. In later life she retained a place in Washington society and was granted a lifelong seat on the floor of the House of Representatives.

James Madison
Born in Virginia in 1751, James Madison worked in state government before entering national politics and was the first president to have had experience as a congressman. One of his major contributions to the ratification of the Constitution was to assist Alexander Hamilton and John Jay compose the Federalist Papers. He was instrumental in adding the Bill of Rights to the Constitution and, as a result, is often referred to as the "Father of the Constitution." In 1844, his wife Dolley sent the first personal message using the Morse telegraph.