Virginia dynasty

Cultural  

1. A phrase from the nineteenth century; it points out that four of the first five presidents (George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and James Monroe) were from Virginia.

---

Example Sentences

Unlike his predecessors, he was not from the founding generation, not related to a founder, not a member of the Virginia dynasty.

From Time Magazine Archive

Along with most of the Virginia dynasty, however, his ascent into the revolutionary elite was not the exclusive function of talent and virtue.

From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis

For almost all the leading members of the Virginia dynasty, the answer was clear and negative.

From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis

Like Jefferson and the other members of the Virginia dynasty, he regarded any explicit defense of slavery in the mode of South Carolina and Georgia as a moral embarrassment.

From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis

The case Madison had tried to make for the Potomac was simultaneously crafty and driven by romantic illusions about its prowess that were shared by Jefferson, Washington, and most members of the Virginia dynasty.

From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis