RICHMOND, Va. — The James Monroe Memorial Foundation held a celebration at Hollywood Cemetery in Richmond Tuesday to honor the 268th birthday of former President James Monroe.
The annual ceremony took place at Monroe's tomb in President's Circle. For nearly a century, the event has featured a wreath laying and formal military honors.
Monroe was born in Westmoreland County, Virginia, in 1758 and was elected as the fifth president of the United States in 1817.
G. William Thomas Jr., the president of the James Monroe Memorial Foundation, noted the foundation is celebrating its 99th anniversary. The program is also part of the 250th birthday of America celebration.
"Monroe is honored because he was the fifth president of the United States, and the only soldier to have fought in the Revolutionary War with Washington, who became President of the United States," Thomas said.
Monroe left the College of William and Mary as a teenager to fight in the Revolutionary War and was wounded at the Battle of Trenton at 18 years old. During the War of 1812, President James Madison appointed Monroe as both Secretary of State and Secretary of War.
"He shows us how he held the country together, and that's why we like to say, next to Washington, he was the most consequential president this country has had during the first 50 years of the young American republic," Thomas said.
More than 50 patriotic and lineage society organizations attended the ceremony, including the Sons of the Revolution, the Society of Cincinnati, the Sons of the American Revolution, the Daughters of the American Revolution, and the Grand Lodge of Virginia Freemasons.
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