Governor George Madison

GEORGE MADISON, the first Kentucky governor to die in office, was born in Augusta County, Virginia in June 1763. His education was limited and attained in the rural schools of his native state. During the Revolutionary War, he enlisted as a private in the American Army, and was wounded twice in the Indians battles of 1791 and 1792. He also served in the War of 1812, as a second major of the 1st Rifle Regiment of the Kentucky Volunteers. In the Battle of Frenchtown, he was captured, held prisoner in Quebec, and released a year later in a prisoner exchange. Madison entered politics in 1796, serving as the Kentucky state auditor of public accounts, a position he held for twenty years. He was elected and sworn into office as the sixth governor of Kentucky on September 5, 1816. However, shortly after taking office, he became ill with tuberculosis, and his only act was the appointment of Colonel Charles S. Todd as the secretary of state. Governor George Madison passed away on October 14, 1816, and was buried in the Frankfort Cemetery in Frankfort, Kentucky.