Judith Robinson White Brockenbrough (March 6, 1784 to March 10, 1854) was born in King William County, Virginia

King William County, Virginia

As of the census of 2000, there were 13,146 people, 4,846 households, and 3,784 families residing in the county. The population density was 48 people per square mile . There were 5,189 housing units at an average density of 19 per square mile...

, was the daughter of John Camm White and Judith Braxton. She married William Brockenbrough

William Brockenbrough (jurist)

William Brockenbrough was born in Tappahannock in Essex County, Virginia, USA, the son of Dr. John Brockenbaugh and Sarah Roane. He attended the College of William and Mary in 1798. He studied law and then went into private practice...

 in 1806. An intimate of Dolley Madison

Dolley Madison

Dolley Payne Todd Madison was the spouse of the fourth President of the United States, James Madison, and was First Lady of the United States from 1809 to 1817...

, wife of President James Madison

James Madison

James Madison, Jr. was an American statesman and political theorist. He was the fourth President of the United States and is hailed as the “Father of the Constitution” for being the primary author of the United States Constitution and at first an opponent of, and then a key author of the United...

, she was present in Washington when the British burned the city in 1814 during the War of 1812

War of 1812

The War of 1812 was a military conflict fought between the forces of the United States of America and those of the British Empire. The Americans declared war in 1812 for several reasons, including trade restrictions because of Britain's ongoing war with France, impressment of American merchant...

. She assisted Dolley Madison in rescuing valuables from the White House

White House

The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...

. Dolley Madison said of her, "as a friend I find Mrs. Judith Brockenbrough unequalled."

In later years, her husband was a judge on the Virginia Court of Appeals

Supreme Court of Virginia

The Supreme Court of Virginia is the highest court in the Commonwealth of Virginia. It primarily hears appeals from the trial-level city and county Circuit Courts, as well as the criminal law, family law and administrative law cases that go through the Court of Appeals of Virginia. It is one of...

, and the family was close to Chief Justice John Marshall

John Marshall

John Marshall was the Chief Justice of the United States whose court opinions helped lay the basis for American constitutional law and made the Supreme Court of the United States a coequal branch of government along with the legislative and executive branches...

, who resided near them in Richmond, Virginia

Richmond, Virginia

Richmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. It is an independent city and not part of any county. Richmond is the center of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Greater Richmond area...

.

Her son, Judge John White Brockenbrough

John White Brockenbrough

John White Brockenbrough was a Virginia lawyer, federal judge, educator, and the founder of the Washington and Lee University School of Law....

, was one of the principal proponents of Robert E. Lee becoming president of Washington College.

External links