I have a good feeling about James Monroe, but I’m not going to let that sway my evaluation of him, no siree.
Let’s see there was the Monroe Doctrine, for which he’s still hailed in South America, but that was the work of John Quincy Adams, his Secretary of State. Well, good on him for picking a good cabinet.
And the Missouri Compromise, which helped keep the Union together for a few decades, but that was really Henry Clay’s doing in conjunction with some others. Still, he didn’t get in their way.
Here’s a story about James Monroe and Alexander Hamilton:
In 1792, Monroe was a member of a Senate committee investigating the finances of Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton. To clear his name of the charge that he was misusing public funds, Hamilton was forced to reveal his involvement with a Philadelphia woman, Mrs. Reynolds, whose husband was blackmailing him. The committee cleared Hamilton of any suspicion of corruption and agreed to keep the records of their inquiry confidential. But in 1797, someone (apparently not Monroe) leaked the records to the press, and Hamilton was forced to admit his clandestine love affair publicly.
Hamilton filled his confession with apologies to his wife, and she remained loyal to him. But he was bitter about Monroe. Holding him responsible for the leak, Hamilton, accompanied by John Barker Church, his brother-in-law, sought him out in New York City and gave him a tongue-lashing.
Monroe, who was with a friend at the time, tried to explain his innocence in the matter, but Hamilton snapped: “This, as your representation, is totally false!”
Monroe jumped up at that and cried, “Do you say I represent falsely? You are a scoundrel!”
Hamilton too was on his feet by now. “I will meet you like a gentleman,” he cried.
“I am ready,” said Monroe. “Get your pistols.”
“Gentlemen, gentlemen, be moderate,” interposed Church as he and Monroe’s friend separated the two. The confrontation ended with Church’s suggestion that “any warmth or unguarded expression that has happened during the interview should be buried and considered as though it never had happened.”
“In that respect,” said Monroe, “I shall be governed by Col. Hamilton’s consent.”
Hamilton then agreed that “any intemperate expression should be forgotten” and took his leave. The two men continued their quarrel by an exchange of letters; but neither was willing to be the aggressor in challenging the other to a duel.
— Presidential Anecdotes by Paul F. Boller, Jr.
I could go either a thumb up because he let others do their thing or eh, because he didn’t do much himself.
Eeny, meeny, miny, moe.
And next week I’ll probably go the other way.