James Madison, Jr. (March 16, 1751 – June 28, 1836) was an American statesman, diplomat, expansionist, philosopher and Founding Father who served as the fourth president of the United States from 1809 to 1817. Madison learned mathematics, geography, and modern and classical languages—he became especially proficient in Latin. At age 16, Madison returned to Montpelier, where he began a two-year course of study under the Reverend Thomas Martin in preparation for college. Unlike most college-bound Virginians of his day, Madison did not attend the College of William and Mary, where the lowland Williamsburg climate - thought to be more likely to harbor infectious disease - might have strained his delicate health. Instead, in 1769, he enrolled at the College of New Jersey (now Princeton University).