William Short
William Short was born on September 30, 1759, in Surrey County, Virginia.[1] He studied law under George Wythe at the College of William & 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, 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.[5] Short 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., where he was a frequent guest at the Jefferson White House.[8] 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.[9] Short settled in Philadelphia and spent his time managing his investments and contributing to philanthropic causes.[10] He died in Philadelphia on December 5, 1849.
References
- ↑ George Green, “Short, William”, American National Biography Online, Feb. 2000, accessed November 1, 2013.
- ↑ Ibid.
- ↑ “William Short”, Thomas Jefferson Encyclopedia (Monticello.org), accessed November 1, 2013.
- ↑ Marie Goebel Kimball and Alexandre de Liancourt, “William Short, Jefferson’s Only ‘Son’”, The North American Review 223, no. 832 (Sep. – Nov., 1926), 471.
- ↑ Shackelford, “Short, William.”
- ↑ Kimball and de Liancourt, “William Short, Jefferson’s Only ‘Son’”, 472.
- ↑ Shackelford, “Short, William.”
- ↑ Ibid.
- ↑ Ibid.
- ↑ Ibid.
