Thomas Jefferson

Life and work

The story behind the role.

Founding Father, U.S. president from 1801 to 1809 (1743–1826).

Thomas Jefferson (April 13 [O.S. April 2], 1743 – July 4, 1826) was a Founding Father and the third president of the United States, serving from 1801 to 1809. From 1797 to 1801, he served as the second vice president under John Adams. A prolific writer and philosopher, Jefferson was the primary author of the Declaration of Independence. His political philosophy, defined by republicanism, individual liberty, agrarianism, and limited government, formed the basis for Jeffersonian democracy. While he remains celebrated as an icon of American political values, Jefferson is also controversial for having enslaved more than 600 people. Jefferson was born in Shadwell, Virginia. During the American Revolution, Jefferson represented Virginia in the Second Continental Congress. His advocacy for individual rights, including the freedoms of thought, speech, and religion, helped shape the ideological foundations of the revolution. Jefferson served as the second governor of Virginia from 1779 to 1781. In 1785, Congress appointed him as U.S. Minister to France, where he served from 1785 to 1789. President George Washington then appointed Jefferson the nation's first secretary of state, where he served from 1790 to 1793. In 1792, Jefferson and political ally James Madison organized the Democratic-Republican Party to oppose the Federalist Party during the formation of the nation's First Party System. Jefferson and Federalist John Adams became both personal friends and political rivals. In the 1796 U.S. presidential election between the two, Jefferson came in second, which made him Adams' vice president under the electoral laws of the time. Four years later, in the 1800 presidential election, he again challenged Adams and won the presidency. When running for reelection in 1804, Jefferso…

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