He was Gryffinclawish, for sure, but I'd definitely go Gryffindor over Ravenclaw. I used to have a JA Gryff icon! A lot of both his political successes AND failures can be pretty quickly attributed to the fact that he would say "fuck this, I'm doing what I think is right". He was brilliant, sure, but he didn't tend to think being smart was enough to earn respect -- he respected people who Did The Right Thing or showed nobility or courage. It made him great for advocating Independency, but kind of a crap diplomat, and in the end made him unelectable. And I think if you look at his most shining moments (which from what I can see in his letters, were the accomplishments he was also proud of), they're (a) unpopularly representing the Boston Massacre defendants, (b) doggedly insisting on independence, and (c) avoiding war with France when "his" party was clamoring for it. Also, I suppose, the writing of the Massachusetts Constitution. Contrast with his friend/rival/friend Th Jefferson (definitely Ravenclaw no question), who requested that his tombstone list him as the author of a religious freedom resolution, author of the Declaration, and founder of UVA.
Madison is a tough sort but I think I've typically put him in Hufflepuff. He was very "behind the scenes" for quite some time, working really really hard to put together the R-D platform while giving Jefferson "party leader" credit. He was highly practical and methodical, and I never quite got the same sense of ambition from him as I did of ... everyone else.
I can agree on Washington as Hufflepuff though I think I used to put him with Slytherin -- though he was always very Slytherpuff. It depends whether you think his "oh no I don't want to govern" was genuine or just really really really well-played. But he was HIGHLY concerned with reputation and appearance and propriety and did little subtle things to establish himself (like wearing his old uniform to Congress before being appointed General, or knowing how to stay above the fray) that make me able to believe that it was the latter.
John Adams superfan here
Madison is a tough sort but I think I've typically put him in Hufflepuff. He was very "behind the scenes" for quite some time, working really really hard to put together the R-D platform while giving Jefferson "party leader" credit. He was highly practical and methodical, and I never quite got the same sense of ambition from him as I did of ... everyone else.
I can agree on Washington as Hufflepuff though I think I used to put him with Slytherin -- though he was always very Slytherpuff. It depends whether you think his "oh no I don't want to govern" was genuine or just really really really well-played. But he was HIGHLY concerned with reputation and appearance and propriety and did little subtle things to establish himself (like wearing his old uniform to Congress before being appointed General, or knowing how to stay above the fray) that make me able to believe that it was the latter.