Thomas Jefferson is best remembered by Americans as a great president and as the author of the Declaration of Independence.
Jefferson was born April 13, 1743, in Albemarle County, VA., on the family farm, Shadwell. He had six sisters and three brothers and loved hunting, fishing, horseback riding and canoeing. He also loved music and learned to play the violin. He was taught to read and write by his father so he could keep the farm accounts.
As the oldest son, Jefferson became the head of the family at the death of his father, though he was only 14 years old. He inherited the farm with its 5,000 acres and 30 slaves.
Jefferson studied at the College of William and Mary, then read law and was admitted to the bar in 1767. He practiced law with great success until public service took the bulk of his time.
In 1772 Jefferson married Martha Wayles Skelton, a widow. According to legend, Jefferson's love of music helped him win his bride. One day two rival suitors came to call but left without a word when they saw the couple playing a duet on the harpsichord and violin.
The Jeffersons lived in the not-yet-completed Monticello. They had one son and five daughters, but only Martha and Mary lived to adulthood. Mrs. Jefferson died ten years after their wedding, leaving Jefferson to raise his two daughters alone. He never remarried.
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Jefferson was elected to the House of Burgesses in 1769 and served there until 1775. In the spring of that year, he attended the Second Virginia Convention and was chosen as one of the delegates to the Second Continental Congress, in which he took a leading part. After the Revolutionary War began, he was asked to draft "A Declaration of the Causes and Necessity of Taking up Arms." During the spring of 1776, sentiment rapidly grew stronger in favor of independence. Congress appointed a committee to draw up a declaration of independence, and members unanimously appointed Jefferson to prepare the draft, approving it with only a few changes. The Declaration of Independence was adopted on July 4, 1776, and remains Jefferson's best-known work.
In September 1776 Jefferson resigned from Congress and returned to the Virginia House of Delegates, where he felt he could be more useful as a lawmaker. The Virginia Assembly elected Jefferson governor for one-year terms in 1779 and 1780, after which he returned to Monticello.
Jefferson's countrymen elected him to Congress in 1783. He accepted the office, hoping it would take his mind off the recent death of his wife. He was sent to France in 1784 to join John Adams and Benjamin Franklin in negotiating treaties of commerce. The next year Franklin resigned as minister to France, and Jefferson succeeded him in Paris.
During Jefferson's stay in France, Americans reorganized their government. When he returned to the United States, President George Washington asked him to be Secretary of State. In 1796 he accepted the Democratic-Republican nomination for President and received the second largest number of electoral votes, thereby becoming vice president to John Adams.
The Democratic-Republicans nominated Jefferson for president again in 1800. He won the election and served two terms. The highlights of his administration included the opening of the U.S. Military Academy, purchase of the Louisiana Territory from France and sponsorship of the Lewis and Clark expedition.
Jefferson was 65 when he retired from the presidency. He returned to Monticello to a quieter life. He was interested in education and spent his later years in the creation of the University of Virginia. In March 1825, Jefferson was able to see the university open with 40 students.
Only a year later, Jefferson's strength began failing. On July 4, 1826, 50 years after the adoption of the Declaration of Independence, Jefferson died and was buried beside his wife at Monticello.
In addition to being a great president and author of the Declaration of Independence, Jefferson also won lasting fame as a diplomat, a political thinker, promoter of the Bill of Rights and a founder of the Democratic party.