In 1794, Washington needed a Democratic-Republican acceptable to the French to represent his Federalist government as minister to France. He chose Monroe. In France, Monroe took a very pro-French stance rather than representing Washington's policy of neutrality. Eventually, Washington recalled Monroe. This led to a feud between Washington and Monroe that was never reconciled, and can be said to have led to Washington's death several years later. In December 1799, Washington returned home from a horseback ride around his estate, and received word that Monroe had been elected governor of Virginia. Angry, Washington sat and discussed the situation in his study without removing his snow-soaked clothing. This was how he caught the cold, which became pneumonia, from which Washington died shortly thereafter.
In 1803, Monroe was named a Special Envoy by President Jefferson to negotiate a treaty for free navigation of the Mississippi River. Before he arrived in Paris, however, Robert Livingston had negotiated the Louisiana Purchase. Jefferson then sent Monroe to Madrid to negotiate the purchase of Spanish Florida. When Spain refused to sell, Jefferson then ordered Monroe to England to deal with Anglo-American tensions over shipping rights. The treaty Monroe negotiated did not mention American rights on the high seas, and Jefferson refused to even submit the treaty to the Senate. Jefferson offered Monroe the governorship of Louisiana, but Monroe declined.
When Madison was elected President in 1808, Monroe hoped for a cabinet position, but instead was again offered the governorship of Louisiana, which he again declined. In 1810, Monroe was elected to the Virginia legislature, and the next year was once again elected governor of Virginia. Less than three months after becoming governor, he was offered the post of Secretary of State, to replace the incompetent Robert Smith, who had left the State Department in absolute chaos.
It was in the position of Secretary of State that Monroe revealed his tremendous talent for administration. In a short period of time, he had reorganized the department into an orderly, smoothly functioning agency. Because of this, during the War of 1812, Madison named Monroe to head the inefficient and disorganized War Department, making Monroe the only person to hold two cabinet positions at the same time. Supply systems, communications, chain of command and contracts were all made clear and efficient, greatly contributing to the American war effort. This left Monroe the obvious candidate to succeed Madison in the next election. In 1816, he was elected President in a landslide election victory.
