Thomas Jefferson

Thomas Jefferson was born in 1743 in Albermarle County, VA. He grew to be a tall man with freckles and sandy hair. He was a farmer, architect, scientist, statesman, writer and inventor. He inherited 5,000 acres of land from his father, where he later built his famous house, Monticello. He went to school at the College of William and Mary and studied law. In 1769 he was elected to the Virginia legislature, and in 1770 he followed Patrick Henry as governor of Virginia. He married the widow Martha Wayles Skelton in 1772. He was very sad when she died in 1782, leaving 3 children (4 had died), and he never remarried. In 1775 he became a member of the Continental Congress.

Jefferson wasn't very good at public speaking, but he was good at writing. When he was 33, he wrote the Declaration of Independence, his most famous work. He followed Ben Franklin as a French ambassador from 1785 to 1793. He also founded the University of Virginia.

People told Thomas to run for president in 1796, but he lost by three votes and became vice president to John Adams. He later won the election in 1800 and became the third President of the United States of America.

While he was president, he lowered the national debt by one third. He also bought the Louisiana Territory from France in 1803, making the United States twice as big. President Jefferson didn't use the fancy Presidential carriage. Instead, he rode horseback with no guard.

After serving as president for eight years, Thomas Jefferson enjoyed many years at Monticello, inventing, building and experimenting. He grew the first tomato plant in America! His large library became the start of the Library of Congress. He and John Adams wrote letters to each other for many years. They both died on the same day, July 4, 1826, fifty years after signing the Declaration of Independence.

--Amanda Reiser