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Thomas Jefferson authored the Declaration of Independence in 1776, served as the third U.S. president from 1801 to 1809, and oversaw the Louisiana Purchase in 1803, which doubled the nation’s size. He was a Founding Father, a prolific inventor, and founded the University of Virginia in 1819. Jefferson died on July 4, 1826, the same day as John Adams, exactly 50 years after the Declaration of Independence.
Names, aliases, and relatives of Thomas Jefferson — birth name, kin, and personal ties.
Thomas Jefferson by the numbers — life, work, and family.
Thomas Jefferson — early life, career, personal life, and legacy.
Born on April 2, 1743, at Shadwell in Virginia, Thomas Jefferson was the third of ten children of Peter Jefferson and Jane Randolph Jefferson. His father died when he was 14, leaving him responsible for the family estate. He attended the College of William & Mary, where he studied law and philosophy under the guidance of William Small, which sparked his lifelong interest in Enlightenment ideas.
Jefferson drafted the Declaration of Independence in 1776, asserting the American colonies’ right to break from Great Britain. He served as minister to France from 1785 to 1789, was the first U.S. Secretary of State under George Washington, and became vice president under John Adams in 1797. Elected president in 1800, his administration completed the Louisiana Purchase in 1803, vastly expanding U.S. territory. After his presidency, he founded the University of Virginia in 1819, designing its curriculum and architecture.
Jefferson married Martha Wayles Skelton on January 1, 1772. They had six children, but only two lived to adulthood: Martha Jefferson Randolph and Mary Jefferson Eppes. Martha died in 1782, and Jefferson never remarried. He also had children with his enslaved woman Sally Hemings, including Madison, Harriet, and Eston Hemings. Known for his love of ice cream, he invented the swivel chair, dumbwaiter, and other gadgets.
Jefferson’s primary legacy is as the author of the Declaration of Independence, a founding document of American democracy. He founded the University of Virginia in 1819 and designed its campus. His estate at Monticello is a UNESCO World Heritage site. He was elected to the Hall of Fame for Great Americans in 1900. Jefferson is remembered for championing individual rights, though his slave ownership remains a complex part of his history.
Every award, honor, and recognition received by Thomas Jefferson — Grammys, hall-of-fame inductions, civic honors, lifetime achievements.
Thomas Jefferson's bibliography — every authored, edited, and co-written book, ranked by edition count.
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A wall of memorable lines from Thomas Jefferson — lyrics, interviews, and off-the-cuff remarks captured over a lifetime.
When Angry, Count Ten Before You Speak. If Very Angry, a Hundred.
Information Is the Currency of Democracy.
Question with Boldness Even the Existence of a God.
The First Object of My Heart Is My Own Country. This Solitary Republic of the World Is the Only Monument of Human Rights, and the Sole Repository of the Sacred Fire of Freedom.
There Isn’t a Sprig of Grass Uninteresting to Me.
We Hold These Truths to Be Self Evident, That All Men Are Created Equal, That They Are Endowed, by Their Creator, with Certain Unalienable Rights, That Among These Are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness. That to Secure These Rights, Governments Are Instituted Among Men, Deriving Their Just Powers from the Consent of the Governed.
Error of Opinion May Be Tolerated Where Reason Is Left Free to Combat It.
Were It Left to Me to Decide Whether We Should Have a Government Without Newspapers, or Newspapers Without a Government, I Should Not Hesitate a Moment to Prefer the Latter.
I Hold It That a Little Rebellion Now and Then Is a Good Thing, and as Necessary in the Political World as Storms in the Physical.
Walking Is the Best Possible Exercise. Habituate Yourself to Walk Very Far.
Truth Is Great and Will Prevail If Left to Herself.
Little-known facts about Thomas Jefferson — origins, oddities, and behind-the-scenes details from a public life.
Thomas Jefferson died on July 4, 1826, the same date as John Adams, exactly 50 years after the Declaration of Independence.
Despite being from opposing parties, Jefferson became John Adams’s vice president because early elections had no party tickets and the runner-up took the vice presidency.
Although he owned slaves, Jefferson agitated for abolition and tried to include language against slavery in the Declaration of Independence, but he struck it due to backlash from southern states.
He was a supporter of the French Revolution.
Jefferson was elected to the Hall of Fame for Great Americans in 1900.
He was the author of the United States Declaration of Independence.
Jefferson served as the second vice president of the United States from March 4, 1797 to March 4, 1801.
He served as the third president of the United States from March 4, 1801 to March 4, 1809.
Jefferson hated the presidency so much that it was left off his headstone, which reads: Here was buried Thomas Jefferson, author of the Declaration of American Independence, of the statute of Virginia for religious freedom and father of the University of Virginia.
He was one of four American presidents without a First Lady during his entire tenure; his daughter Martha informally served as acting First Lady.
Jefferson spoke six languages.
He was pictured on the 2¢ United States Liberty series postage stamp issued September 15, 1954.
He was pictured on a 29¢ United States Great Americans series definitive stamp issued April 13, 1993.
Under Jefferson, the United States nearly doubled in size via the Louisiana Purchase from France.
He had little involvement in the formation of the Constitution, as he was serving as ambassador to France during the Constitutional Convention.
Besides politics, Jefferson was an inventor, creating designs for the dumbwaiter, improved sundial, and architectural plans for Monticello. He also played the violin and loved science.
Jefferson was the first cousin of Congressmen John Marshall and William Segar Archer.
He was the father-in-law of Gov. Thomas Mann Randolph and Sen. John Wayles Eppes.
Jefferson served as Governor of Virginia 1779-1781.
He served as United States Secretary of State 1790-1793.
An Onondaga chief named him Karanduawn, meaning the Great Tree.
He invented the dumbwaiter, lazy Susan, pedometer, swivel chair, and folding chair, and came up with Chicken a la King and Baked Alaska.
He was asked to write the Declaration of Independence only after John Adams turned it down.
Jefferson City, Missouri, became the state capital while Jefferson was still alive.
He is among the tallest U.S. presidents alongside George Washington, Lyndon B. Johnson, and Abraham Lincoln.
He loved ice cream and served it frequently.
He had a reputation for wearing mismatched outfits and often received visitors in his pajamas, likely to distract from his poor public speaking skills.
He founded the University of Virginia.
He was the first U.S. ambassador to France.
After the War of 1812, Jefferson sold his personal library of over six thousand books to restore the Library of Congress after the British burned it.
He was an excellent writer but a notoriously bad public speaker due to extreme shyness.
He led America’s first archaeological dig.
He made major anti-slavery moves, including abolishing the importation of slaves into America, which ended the international slave trade from Africa.
Jefferson is an ancestor of actor Lee Marvin.
Since his wife Martha died before his vice presidency and presidency, she became the first honorary second lady and first lady of the U.S.
He was the first cousin seven times removed of Lec Zorn.
Quick answers to the questions readers ask most about Thomas Jefferson.
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