Paul Jennings

Born at James Madison’s Montpelier plantation in Virginia around 1799, Paul Jennings was enslaved from childhood and was taken to the White House during Madison’s presidency, where he worked as a footman and personal servant. Later sold to Dolley Madison after the president’s death, he eventually gained his freedom in Washington, D.C.

Jennings is remembered above all for A Colored Man’s Reminiscences of James Madison, published in 1865 and widely regarded as the first White House memoir. The book offers a concise, vivid account of Madison, Dolley Madison, and daily life in the presidential household, making it an important firsthand source on both early American politics and slavery.

After securing his freedom, Jennings worked for the federal government and became involved in abolitionist circles in Washington. His life stands out not only because he witnessed history at close range, but because he turned those experiences into a lasting record in his own words.