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| Thomas Jefferson was the President of the United States. Join: US Presidents Project Discuss: presidents |
Contents |
Biography
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| Golden Branch Award Recipient |
Thomas Jefferson was the third President of the United States, the principal author of the Declaration of Independence, and one of the most influential of the United States' Founding Fathers. Jefferson served as the wartime Governor of Virginia (1779–1781), first United States Secretary of State (1789–1793) and second Vice President (1797–1801).
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| Signing the Declaration of Independence |
Jefferson was a man who wore many hats including horticulturist, statesman, architect, archaeologist, paleontologist, author, inventor, and founder of the University of Virginia. As a political philosopher, Jefferson was a man of enlightenment and knew many intellectual leaders in Britain and France.
Jefferson supported states' rights, limited federal government power, and separation of church and state.
He believed that every American was entitled to an education adequate enough to give a person the skills and abilities needed to vote. Beyond that, he believed, should be determined on a person-by-person basis. Not everyone is suited to a college education.
Early Years
Thomas was the son of Peter Jefferson and Jane Randolph, he was born on the Shadwell Plantation in Albermarle County, Colony and Dominion of Virginia on 13 April 1743. [1]
Thomas loved to read, in one of the letters he wrote to John Adams he stated, "I cannot live without books." In his life time, he put together three libraries. His first library held 200 books, this one was lost to a fire. Thomas' second library grew to almost 6,500 books, which he sold to the government, in order to replace the books lost when the British forces burned down the Library of Congress in 1814. The last library he built had almost 2,000 books by the time of his death.
Thomas Jefferson's alma mater was the College of William and Mary. He graduated from college in 1762, and went on to study law.
The land he inherited from his father, was where he build his lifetime Monticello home.
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| Monticello |
Marriage and Family
On 1 January 1772, in Charles City, Thomas married his 3rd cousin, Martha Wayles, she was the young widow of Bathurst Skelton. Martha was born in 1748 to John Wayles and Martha Eppes. Both Martha and Thomas enjoyed music, she played the piano and Thomas played the violin or cello. His first wife, probably had diabetes, which contributed to her having health problems. She had six children within ten years of marriage, causing additional problems for her, ultimately she wasn't able to regain her strength after the birth of her last child. She died 6 September 1782 at Monticello. On her death bed, she asked Thomas not to remarry, because she didn't want her children raised by a step-mother. He was heart broken at the loss of his wife, his oldest daughter wrote that she was, "a solitary witness to many a violent burst of grief." They only had two children who reached adulthood, Martha and Mary.[2]
- Martha Jefferson born in 1772, died in 1836, she was married to Thomas Mann Randolph, Jr.
- Jane Randolph Jefferson was born in 1774, died in 1775. Died Young.
- Unnamed Infant Jefferson, was born in May of 1777, died in June of 1777. Died Young.
- Mary Jefferson was born in 1778, died in 1804, she married John Wayles Eppes
- Lucy Elizabeth Jefferson was born in 1780, died in 1781. Died Young.
- Lucy Elizabeth Jefferson was born in 1782, died in 1784. Died Young.
Thomas had a watch key that held of lock of Martha's hair, on the outside of the watch key, he had his wife' name inscribed with her birth and death dates.[3]
Jefferson's Political Time-Line
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| Thomas Jefferson Portrait 1805 |
Thomas started practicing law in 1767, at the age of 32. He was first elected to the House of Burgesses at the age of 33. Almost, ten years later in 1776, he was elected to the Virginia House of Delegates. He drafted the Declaration of Independence that same year, it was signed by the delegates on 4 July 1776.
Three years later he became the Governor of Virginia, a position he held until 1781. Two years later he was elected to be a delegate to Congress. Thomas continued to serve in the new government, in 1790 he became the first United States Secretary of State, a position he held until 1793.
Thomas became the 2nd Vice-President in 1797, a position he held until 1801. John Adams and Thomas Jefferson had been friends for a number of years, but during the time of John's presidency their relationship soured, to the point, Abigail and John Adams no longer wished to have anything to do with Thomas. Their friendship was eventually restored, but not until after Thomas had retired from his political career.
He was elected the 3rd United States President in 1801, and served until 1809. During his Presidency the Louisiana Purchase Treaty was signed.
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| 1803 Louisiana Purchase |
It was also during the time he was president that the Lewis and Clark expedition was conducted.[4]
- For his complete time-line during his terms see: from December 1800 to March 1809
Retirement and Death
Thomas managed his Monticello Plantation, Albemarle, Virginia along with all his other estates. His health was in a steady decline from 1818 until his death in 1826.[5]
Jefferson died on 4 July 1826, the 50th anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence. He died a few hours before John Adams. There are stories that while Adams lay dying, he spoke of Thomas, unaware that Jefferson had already passed away.
Thomas Jefferson in his own words
From the pen of Thomas Jefferson, 3rd U.S. President, Drafter and Signer of the Declaration of Independence[6]
"I had rather be shut up in a very modest cottage with my books, my family and a few old friends, dining on simple bacon, and letting the world roll on as it liked, then to occupy the most splendid post, which any human power can give." Thomas Jefferson, Letters of Thomas Jefferson.[6]
"Determine never to be idle. No person will have occasion to complain of the want of time, who never loses any. It is wonderful how much may be done, if we are always doing." Thomas Jefferson, Letters of Thomas Jefferson.[6]
"God who gave us life gave us liberty. And can the liberties of a nation be thought secure when we have removed their only firm basis, a conviction in the minds of the people that these liberties are of the Gift of God? That they are not to be violated but with His wrath? Indeed, I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just; that His justice cannot sleep forever; That a revolution of the wheel of fortune, a change of situation, is among possible events; that it may become probable by Supernatural influence! The Almighty has no attribute which can take side with us in that event." [7]
DNA
Jefferson's Y-DNA is of the type found in Haplogroup T (formerly K2) and is considered fairly rare. You may read more about Haplogroup T here.[1][8]
Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings
Thomas Jefferson had an intimate relationship with Sally Hemings, a woman he enslaved, but also the half-sister to his first wife Martha. Due to evidence from the time, plus the addition of Y DNA testing, it is believed he was the father of six of her children. See: Sally Hemings and Thomas Jefferson for more detailed information. The Thomas Jefferson Foundation believes the preponderance of evidence is strongest in favor of this being true. With this in mind, relationships on WikiTree will reflect this conclusion until/unless brand new evidence that strongly sways the conclusion in a new direction comes to light. WikiTree's US Presidents Project and US Black Heritage Project are in agreement that they will not engage in any arguments or discussion regarding these relationships without new evidence.
Legacy
At a dinner to honor Nobel Prize recipients of the Western Hemisphere, U.S. President John F. Kennedy said, “I want to tell you how welcome you are to the White House. I think this is the most extraordinary collection of talent, of human knowledge, that has ever been gathered together at the White House, with the possible exception of when Thomas Jefferson dined alone. (29 Apr 1962) [9]
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| Mount Rushmore |
- Twenty-six U.S. states have named counties in President Jefferson's honor: Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Washington, West Virginia, and Wisconsin.
- His portrait graces the US two-dollar bill and nickel.
- Appears on Mount Rushmore
Sources
- ↑ Bio of Thomas Jefferson
- ↑ Thomas Jefferson Family Life and Children
- ↑ Jefferson's Watch Key
- ↑ Jefferson's Timeline from Birth to Death
- ↑ Cause of death
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Quotes of Thomas Jefferson
- ↑ --Notes on the State of Virginia, Query XVIII, p. 237.
- ↑ DNA for Thomas Jefferson & other famous people
- ↑ The American Presidency Project, URL: http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/index.php?pid=8623. Accessed 19 Mar 2018 by Patricia Prickett Hickin.
See Also:
- Yale Law School, The Avalon Project Jefferson, Thomas, Jefferson's Autobiography 1743-1790
- Thomas, Jefferson, 1743-1826, Ford, Paul Leichester, 1865-1902, Putnam, George Haven, 1844-1930, Autobiography of Thomas Jefferson, 1743-1790 Autobiography
- The Connecticut Courant. Vol XXXVII. Number 1965. Hartford, Connecticut. Monday, 20 Sep 1802. fp
- Burke's Presidential Families of the United States of America / [Hugh Montgomery-Massingberd, Editor]. - 2nd Ed. London: Burke's Peerage Limited, 1981. Print.
- Dabney Neff McLean. The English Ancestry of Thomas Jefferson. Clearfield; 1 January 1996. ISBN 978-0-8063-4608-3.
- Call, Michel L. 2006. The royal ancestry bible: a 3,400 pedigree chart compilation (plus index and appendix) containing royal ancestors of 300 colonial American families who are themselves ancestors of 70 million Americans: condensed edition with Mormon pioneer supplement. Salt Lake City, Utah: M.L. Call - Descent of Four Presidents from Emperor Charlemagne
- Roberts, Gary Boyd, Christopher Challender Child, and Julie Helen Otto. 1989. Ancestors of American presidents. Santa Clarita, Calif: C. Boyer. pp. 6-8, 139-141
- Godfrey Memorial Library, comp.
- American Genealogical-Biographical Index (AGBI) Ancestry.com Operations Inc; Location: Provo, UT, USA; Date: 1999; Godfrey Memorial Library, American Genealogical-Biographical Index, Middletown, CT, USA: Godfrey Memorial Library
- Portrait & Bio. Album of Mahaska Co. IA (1887)
- Find A Grave, database and images (accessed 23 September 2019), memorial page for Thomas Jefferson (13 Apr 1743–4 Jul 1826), Find A Grave: Memorial #544, citing Monticello National Park Grounds, Albemarle County, Virginia, USA ; Maintained by Find A Grave.
- Albemarle County in Virginia...; 1901 See pp. 235-38 for a history of the Jefferson family in Albemarle County VA.
- Wikipedia contributors, "Thomas Jefferson," Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Thomas_Jefferson&oldid=1296324236 (accessed June 20, 2025).
- Wikipedia: Thomas Jefferson
Member of the Virginia House of Burgesses from Albemarle County (11 May 1769–1 June 1775) - -The Writings of Thomas Jefferson
- Wikidata Q11812
