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Thomas
Jefferson ( April 13 , 1743 - July 4 , 1826 ) was the third
( 1801 - 1809 ) President of the United States .
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Order: |
3rd
President |
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Term of Office: |
March 4 , 1801 - March 4 , 1809 |
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Followed: |
John Adams |
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Succeeded by: |
James Madison |
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Date of Birth |
April 13 , 1743 |
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Place of Birth: |
Shadwell, Virginia |
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Date of Death: |
July 4 , 1826 |
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Place of Death: |
Monticello , Virginia |
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Wife: |
Martha Wayles Jefferson |
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First Lady : |
Martha Jefferson Randolph (daughter)
Dolley Madison (friend) |
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Occupation: |
lawyer , farmer |
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Political Party: |
Democratic-Republican |
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Vice President: |
Aaron Burr ( 1801 - 1805 )
George Clinton ( 1805 - 1809 ) |
His parents
were Peter Jefferson ( March 29 , 1708 - August 17, 1757 )
and Jane Randolph (February 20 , 1720 - March 31, 1776) both
from families who had settled in Virginia for several
generations.
He was the
primary author of the Declaration of Independence, and a
source of many other contributions to American culture.
Achievements of his presidency include the Louisiana
Purchase and the Lewis and Clark Expedition.
His home in
Virginia was Monticello , near Charlottesville, Virginia,
which included automatic doors and other convenient devices
that he designed himself. He helped to found the University
of Virginia .
Jefferson's
interests included archaeology , a discipline then in its
infancy. He has sometimes been called the "father of
archaeology" in recognition of his role in developing
excavation techniques. When exploring an Indian burial mound
on his Virginia estate in 1784 , Jefferson avoided the
common practice of simply digging downwards until something
turned up. Instead, he cut a wedge out of the mound, so that
he could walk into it, look at the layers of occupation and
draw conclusions from them.
Jefferson
was also an avid wine lover and noted gourmet. During his
ambassadorship to France (1784-9) he took extensive trips
through French and other European wine regions and sent the
best back to the White House. He is noted for the bold
pronouncement "We could in the United States make as great a
variety of wines as are made in Europe, not exactly of the
same kinds, but doubtless as good." While there were
extensive vineyards planted at Monticello, a significant
portion were V. vinifera and did not survive the many vine
diseases native to the Americas. Thus, Jefferson himself was
never able to produce wine on par with Europe. However, it
seems likely that he would be pleased with the quantity and
quality of wine now being made in Virginia.
Jefferson's
ideal for the United States was that of an agricultural
nation of yeoman farmers, in contrast to the vision of
Alexander Hamilton , who envisioned a nation of commerce and
manufacturing.
Like many
landholders of his time, Jefferson owned slaves. A subject
of considerable controversy since Jefferson's own time was
whether Jefferson was the father of any of the children of
his slave Sally Hemings .
An
electoral tie resulted between Jefferson and his opponent
Aaron Burr in the U.S. presidential election, 1800. It was
resolved on February 17 , 1801 when Jefferson was elected
President and Burr Vice President by the United States House
of Representatives .
Jefferson's
portrait appears on the U.S. $2 bill.
Sayings
Jefferson is known for taking
a strong independent stance in regards to religion. He
compiled a collection of what he considered to be the most
profound and meaningful passages from the Bible , and
published it as an independent work. This became known as
the Jefferson Bible .
Other
saying:
Places
named for Thomas Jefferson
Supreme
Court appointments
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