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Thomas Jefferson Biography

U.S. President

Thomas Jefferson was the third president of the United States and one of the drafters of the Declaration of Independence. Biographer James Parton said Thomas Jefferson could "calculate an eclipse, survey an estate, tie an artery, plan an edifice, try a cause, break a horse, dance a minuet, and play the violin." Besides serving two terms as president, Jefferson served as vice-president, secretary of state, minister to France, congressman, governor of Virginia; he also founded the University of Virginia and served as president of the American Philosophical Society. For all that, Jefferson is best remembered as a champion of human rights and the lead draftsman of the Declaration of Independence. High points of his presidency include the Louisiana Purchase from Napoleon and the exploration of the west by Lewis and Clark. The third person to be president, Jefferson followed John Adams as president and was succeeded by James Madison.

Extra credit: His vice president was George Clinton of New York... Jefferson married Martha Wayles Skelton, a widow, in 1772. She died in 1782, at the age of 33... Jefferson and his wife had one son and five daughters; only two of his children lived to see him become president... DNA tests in 1998 showed that Jefferson may well have fathered a child or children by one of his slaves, Sally Hemings... Jefferson was played by Nick Nolte in the 1995 movie Jefferson in Paris... Jefferson's face appears on the U.S. nickel and the two-dollar bill.

For gossip about Jefferson and other presidents, go to our Who2 loop Presidential Sex Scandals. Jefferson also appears in our loops Presidents Elected in "0" Years and On The Money.

For a complete list of U.S. presidents, please go to Easy Reference for U.S. Presidents.

Blog posts mentioning Thomas Jefferson:

• Happy Semiquincentennial, James Monroe!
• Here Come the Dollar Presidents