Difference between revisions of "William Short"

William Short was born on September 30, 1759, in Surrey County, Virginia.<ref>George Green, [http://www.anb.org/articles/02/02-00287.html?a=1&n=william_short “Short, William”], ''American National Biography Online'', Feb. 2000, accessed November 1, 2013.</ref> He studied law under [[George Wythe]] at the [http://www.wm.edu College of William & Mary], where he was a founding member and president of Phi Beta Kappa.<ref>Ibid.</ref> Short was related to [[Thomas Jefferson]] by marriage, and became a protégé of Jefferson’s while still in school.<ref> [http://www.monticello.org/site/research-and-collections/william-short “William Short”], ''Thomas Jefferson Encyclopedia'' (Monticello.org), accessed November 1, 2013.</ref> Jefferson would eventually refer to Short as his adopted son, and Short would speak of Jefferson as his “second father.”<ref>Marie Goebel Kimball and Alexandre de Liancourt, “William Short, Jefferson’s Only ‘Son’”, ''The North American Review'' 223, no. 832 (Sep. – Nov., 1926), 471.</ref> In 1784, when Jefferson became Minister to France, Short served as his secretary, launching Short’s career as a diplomat. He continued to look after American interests in France after Jefferson returned to the United States in 1789.<ref>Shackelford, “Short, William.”</ref> Short was named Minister Resident to the Netherlands in 1792<ref>Kimball and de Liancourt, “William Short, Jefferson’s Only ‘Son’”, 472.</ref> and also worked in Spain, where he helped negotiate the Treaty of San Lorenzo.<ref>Shackelford, “Short, William.”</ref> In 1802, he returned to the United States and settled in Philadelphia, often visiting Virginia, Kentucky, and Washington, D.C., where he was a frequent guest at the Jefferson White House.<ref>Ibid.</ref> Short was given a recess appointment as Minister to Russia in 1808, but was ultimately not confirmed; the position was later filled by John Quincy Adams.<ref>Ibid.</ref> Short settled in Philadelphia and spent his time managing his investments and contributing to philanthropic causes.<ref>Ibid.</ref> He died in Philadelphia on December 5, 1849.