M James Monroe

James Monroe (1758–1831) served as the fifth President (1817–1825) during the “Era of Good Feelings,” a period of relative political unity after the War of 1812. His presidency is best known for the Monroe Doctrine (1823), a landmark policy warning European powers against further colonization or intervention in the Western Hemisphere.

Interesting anecdote: In a remarkable coincidence, Monroe died on July 4, 1831. He became the third President (after John Adams and Thomas Jefferson in 1826) to die on Independence Day.