Difference between revisions of "William Short"

Revision as of 19:18, 12 February 2014

William Short was born on September 30, 1759, in Surrey County, Virginia.^[1] He studied law under George Wythe at the College of William and Mary, where he was a founding member and president of Phi Beta Kappa.^[2] Short was related to Thomas Jefferson by marriage, and became a protégé of Jefferson’s while still in school.^[3] Jefferson would eventually refer to Short as his adopted son, and Short would speak of Jefferson as his “second father.”^[4] In 1784, when Jefferson became Minister to France, Short served as his secretary. He continued to look after American interests in France after Jefferson returned to the United States in 1789.^[5] This launched Short’s career as a diplomat. He was named Minister Resident to the Netherlands in 1792^[6] and also worked in Spain, where he helped negotiate the Treaty of San Lorenzo.^[7] In 1802, he returned to the United States and settled in Philadelphia, often visiting Virginia, Kentucky, and Washington, D.C., and was a frequent guest at the Jefferson White House.^[8] He 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.^[9] Short settled in Philadelphia and spent his time managing his investments contributing to philanthropic causes.^[10] He died on December 5, 1849.

References

1. ↑ George Green, “Short, William”, American National Biography Online, Feb. 2000, accessed November 1, 2013.
2. ↑ Ibid.
3. ↑ “William Short”, Thomas Jefferson Encyclopedia (Monticello.org), accessed November 1, 2013.
4. ↑ Marie Goebel Kimball and Alexandre de Liancourt, “William Short, Jefferson’s Only ‘Son’”, The North American Review 223, no. 832 (Sep. – Nov., 1926), 471.
5. ↑ Shackelford, “Short, William.”
6. ↑ Kimball and de Liancourt, “William Short, Jefferson’s Only ‘Son’”, 472.
7. ↑ Shackelford, “Short, William.”
8. ↑ Ibid.
9. ↑ Ibid.
10. ↑ Ibid.