Thomas Jefferson

It is not overstatement to say that Thomas Jefferson was one of the single-most influential men in American history. In addition to drafting and signing the Declaration of Independence and serving two terms as the third president, Jefferson was also a successful diplomat, lawyer, philosopher, and amateur architect. He is well-recognized as being one of the foremost “founding fathers” of the young United States.

Jefferson was born in 1743 in Shadwell, Virginia to Peter Jefferson, a surveyor, and his wife Jane Randolph Jefferson, a member of the very wealthy and prominent Randolph family. The elder Jefferson died when Thomas was only 14, leaving to his son a very sizable estate of 5,000 acres and many slaves. Three years later Jefferson enrolled at William & Mary College – studying mathematics, metaphysics, and philosophy under the tutelage of Dr. William Small. While at school, Jefferson devoted himself to consuming and processing as much information as possible; his schedule consisted of 18 hours of very structured and rigorous study.

Dr. Smalls recognized great promise in Jefferson and recommended him to George Wythe, one of the most prominent lawyers in Virginia, as an apprentice. At that time in the colonies, there were no law schools; most budding lawyers learned by apprenticing themselves to a practicing attorney. Jefferson spent the next seven years learning the intricacies of the law under Wythe’s patient teaching until Jefferson was admitted to the bar in 1767. Wythe’s tutelage had a profound impact on the young lawyer. In his autobiography, Jefferson fondly recognized Wythe as one of the three most influential men in his life along with Dr. Small and Jefferson’s benefactor Peyton Randolph. Jefferson described Wythe as “my faithful and beloved mentor in youth and my most affectionate friend through life and “my ancient master, my earliest and best friend.”

In 1769, Jefferson added a political career to his practice of law, being elected to the Virginia House of Burgesses. He gained notoriety for his support of the revolutionary cause and in 1775 he was elected to the Second Continental Congress where he immediately began drafting revolutionary state papers. In June, 1776, Jefferson was tasked with the monumental responsibility of drafting a declaration of independence from Britain that would fairly represent all 13 colonies. The resulting work is perhaps Jefferson’s most tangible legacy to American history.

Jefferson’s political career continued after his service in the Continental Congress. Post-1776, he went on to serve as the Governor of Virginia (1779-81), the Minister to France (1785-89), the Secretary of State (1790-93), the Vice President (1797-1801), and ultimately as the President of United States (1801-09).

Finished with politics after his second term as president, Jefferson retired to Monticello, the home he had built near Charlottesville, Virginia. As an avid student of architecture, he modeled the house after the work of Italian Renaissance master Andrea Palladio; he repeated a similar design in his later works—the Virginia Capitol, Poplar Forest, and the University of Virginia.

Jefferson wrote his own epitaph. In it, he identified the accomplishments of which he was most proud: the Declaration of Independence, the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom, and the founding of the University of Virginia. His life was full of significance – everything he did seemed to become legend. He died at Monticello on July 4th, 1826—the 50th anniversary of the announcement of American independence. Coincidentally, John Adams, a partner in the Continental Congress, a bitter political rival, and ultimately a rediscovered friend, died on the same day. His reported last words, knowing nothing of Jefferson’s death early on that morning, were “Thomas Jefferson still survives.”