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This article is about the third president of the United States. For other uses, see Thomas Jefferson (disambiguation).

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Thomas Jefferson
$\"Portrait$ Official portrait, 1800

3rd President of the United States
In office March 4, 1801 \u2013 March 4, 1809
Vice President	\n Aaron Burr (1801\u20131805) \n George Clinton (1805\u20131809) \n
Preceded by	John Adams
Succeeded by	James Madison
2nd Vice President of the United States
In office March 4, 1797 \u2013 March 4, 1801
President	John Adams
Preceded by	John Adams
Succeeded by	Aaron Burr
1st United States Secretary of State
In office March 22, 1790 \u2013 December 31, 1793
President	George Washington
Preceded by	John Jay (acting)
Succeeded by	Edmund Randolph
2nd United States Minister to France
In office May 17, 1785 \u2013 September 26, 1789
Appointed by	Confederation Congress
Preceded by	Benjamin Franklin
Succeeded by	William Short
Minister Plenipotentiary for Negotiating Treaties of Amity and Commerce
In office May 7, 1784 \u2013 May 11, 1786
Appointed by	Confederation Congress
Preceded by	Office established
Succeeded by	Office abolished
Delegate from Virginia to the Congress of the Confederation
In office June 6, 1782 \u2013 May 7, 1784
Preceded by	James Madison
Succeeded by	Richard Henry Lee
2nd Governor of Virginia
In office June 1, 1779 \u2013 June 3, 1781
Preceded by	Patrick Henry
Succeeded by	William Fleming
Member of the Virginia House of Delegates from Albemarle County^[1]
In office October 7, 1776 \u2013 May 30, 1779
Preceded by	Charles Lewis
Succeeded by	George Gilmer, Jr.
In office December 10\u201322, 1781
Preceded by	Isaac Davis
Succeeded by	James Marks
Delegate from Virginia to the Second Continental Congress
In office June 20, 1775 \u2013 September 26, 1776
Preceded by	George Washington
Succeeded by	John Harvie
Member of the Virginia House of Burgesses from Albemarle County
In office May 11, 1769^[2] \u2013 June 1, 1775^[3]
Preceded by	Edward Carter^[3]
Succeeded by	Office abolished
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Personal details
Born	(1743-04-13)April 13, 1743 Shadwell Plantation, Goochland (now in Albemarle County) Virginia Colony
Died	July 4, 1826(1826-07-04) (aged 83) Monticello, near Charlottesville, Virginia, U.S.
Resting place	Monticello, Virginia
Political party	Democratic-Republican
Spouse	\n Martha Wayles \n (m. 1772; died 1782)
Children	\n 6 with Martha Wayles, including: Martha Jefferson Randolph Mary Jefferson Eppes \n Up to 6 with Sally Hemings,^[a] including: Madison Hemings Eston Hemings \n
Parents	\n Peter Jefferson \n Jane Randolph \n
Alma mater	College of William & Mary
Occupation	Politician lawyer
Signature	$\"Thomas$
Military service
Allegiance	United States
Branch/service	Virginia militia
Years of service	1775\u20131776
Rank	Colonel
Unit	Albemarle County Militia
Battles/wars	American Revolutionary War
Philosophy career
Notable work	\n Declaration of Independence (1776) \n Notes on Virginia (1785) \n Jefferson's Manual (1801) \n Jefferson Bible (1820) \n

Era	Age of Enlightenment
Region	\n Western philosophy \n American philosophy \n
School	\n Classical liberalism \n Deism \n
Institutions	American Philosophical Society
Main interests	\n Politics \n ethics \n religion \n philology \n
Notable ideas	\n See list \n All men are created equal Empire of Liberty Entangling alliances Jeffersonian democracy Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness Natural aristocracy Separation of church and state Strict constructionism Ward republic Views on education Views on Native Americans Views on slavery Views on religion \n
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Thomas Jefferson (April 13 [O.S. April 2], 1743 – July 4, 1826) was an American Founding Father who served as the third president of the United States from 1801 to 1809.^[6] He was the primary author of the Declaration of Independence. Following the American Revolutionary War and prior to becoming president in 1801, Jefferson was the nation's first U.S. secretary of state under George Washington and then the nation's second vice president under John Adams. Jefferson was a leading proponent of democracy, republicanism, and natural rights, and he produced formative documents and decisions at the state, national, and international levels. \n

Jefferson was born into the Colony of Virginia's planter class, dependent on slave labor. During the American Revolution, Jefferson represented colonial-era Virginia in the Second Continental Congress, which established the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War and unanimously adopted the Declaration of Independence. Jefferson's advocacy for individual rights, including freedom of thought, speech, and religion, helped shape the ideological foundations of the revolution and inspired the Thirteen Colonies in their fight for independence, culminating in the establishment of the United States as a free and sovereign nation.^[7]^[8] Jefferson served as the second governor of revolutionary Virginia from 1779 to 1781. In 1785, Congress appointed Jefferson U.S. minister to France, where he served from 1785 to 1789. President Washington then appointed Jefferson the nation's first secretary of state, where he served from 1790 to 1793. During this time, in the early 1790s, Jefferson and political ally James Madison organized the Democratic-Republican Party to oppose the Federalist Party during the formation of the nation's First Party System. Jefferson and Federalist John Adams became both personal friends and political rivals. In the 1796 U.S. presidential election between the two, Jefferson came in second, which made him Adams' vice president under the electoral laws of the time. Four years later, in the 1800 presidential election, Jefferson again challenged Adams and won the presidency. In 1804, Jefferson was reelected overwhelmingly to a second term.\n

As president, Jefferson assertively defended the nation's shipping and trade interests against Barbary pirates and aggressive British trade policies, promoted a western expansionist policy with the Louisiana Purchase, which doubled the nation's geographic size, and was able to reduce military forces and expenditures following successful negotiations with France. In his second presidential term, Jefferson was beset by difficulties at home, including the trial of his former vice president Aaron Burr. In 1807, Jefferson implemented the Embargo Act to defend the nation's industries from British threats to U.S. shipping, limiting foreign trade and stimulating the birth of the American manufacturing industry.\n

Jefferson is ranked among the upper tier of U.S. presidents by both scholars and in public opinion. Presidential scholars and historians have praised Jefferson's advocacy of religious freedom and tolerance, his peaceful acquisition of the Louisiana Territory from France, and his leadership in supporting the Lewis and Clark Expedition. They acknowledge his lifelong ownership of large numbers of slaves, but offer varying interpretations of his views on and relationship with slavery.^[9]\n

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The Jefferson cabinet
Office	Name	Term

President	Thomas Jefferson	1801–1809

Vice President	Aaron Burr	1801–1805
George Clinton	1805–1809

Secretary of State	James Madison	1801–1809

Secretary of the Treasury	Samuel Dexter	1801
Albert Gallatin	1801–1809

Secretary of War	Henry Dearborn	1801–1809

Attorney General	Levi Lincoln Sr.	1801–1805
John Breckinridge	1805–1806
Caesar Augustus Rodney	1807–1809

Secretary of the Navy	Benjamin Stoddert	1801
Robert Smith	1801–1809

v t e Thomas Jefferson
\n 3rd President of the United States (1801\u20131809) \n 2nd Vice President of the United States (1797\u20131801) \n 1st United States Secretary of State (1790\u20131793) \n U.S. Minister to France (1785\u20131789) \n Delegate to the Congress of the Confederation (1783\u20131784) \n 2nd Governor of Virginia (1779\u20131781) \n Delegate to the Second Continental Congress (1775\u20131776) \n Delegate, Fifth Virginia Convention (1776) \n
Founding documents of the United States	\n A Summary View of the Rights of British America (1774) \n Olive Branch Petition (1775) \n Declaration of the Causes and Necessity of Taking Up Arms (1775) \n Declaration of Independence (1776)\n Committee of Five \n physical history \n \"All men are created equal\" \n \"Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness\" \n \"Consent of the governed\" \n Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom (1786) \n Land Ordinance of 1784 \n Land Ordinance of 1785 \n
French Revolution	\n Co-author, Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen (1789) \n
Presidency	\n Act Prohibiting Importation of Slaves \n Louisiana Purchase \n Lewis and Clark Expedition \n Empire of Liberty \n Dunbar and Hunter Expedition \n Red River Expedition \n Pike Expedition \n Cumberland Road \n Embargo Act of 1807\n Chesapeake\u2013Leopard affair \n Non-Intercourse Act \n First Barbary War \n Native American policy \n Burr conspiracy \n Marbury v. Madison \n West Point Military Academy \n State of the Union Addresses\n 1801 \n 1802 \n 1805 \n Cabinet \n Federal judicial appointments \n
Other noted accomplishments	\n Early life and career \n Franco-American alliance \n Founder, University of Virginia\n history \n Ratification Day \n Anti-Administration party \n Democratic-Republican Party \n Jeffersonian democracy \n Coinage, Weights, and Measures report (1790) \n State Department Library \n Residence Act\n Compromise of 1790 \n Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions \n A Manual of Parliamentary Practice (1801) \n Jefferson disk \n Swivel chair \n Megalonyx \n
Jeffersonian architecture	\n Barboursville \n Farmington \n Monticello\n gardens \n Poplar Forest \n University of Virginia\n The Rotunda \n The Lawn \n Jefferson Hall \n Virginia State Capitol \n White House Colonnades \n
Other writings	\n The Papers of Thomas Jefferson \n Notes on the State of Virginia (1785) \n Pyratical states of Barbary proposals (1786) \n European journey memorandums (1787) \n Indian removal letters \n The Life and Morals of Jesus of Nazareth (c. 1819) \n Jefferson manuscript collection \n Founders Online \n
Related	\n American Enlightenment \n American Philosophical Society \n Founding Fathers of the United States \n Historical reputation \n Jefferson and education \n Religious views \n Jefferson and slavery \n Jefferson and the Library of Congress \n Jefferson Pier \n Pet mockingbird \n National Gazette \n Sally Hemings\n Jefferson\u2013Hemings controversy \n Betty Hemings \n Separation of church and state \n Tufton Farm \n Governor's Palace (Williamsburg, Virginia) \n Virginia dynasty \n Ward republic \n
Elections	\n Presidential elections\n 1796 \n 1800 \n 1804 \n
Legacy and memorials	\n Bibliography \n Jefferson Memorial \n Mount Rushmore \n Birthday \n Thomas Jefferson Building \n Jefferson River \n Jefferson Territory \n Jefferson Lecture \n Jefferson National Expansion Memorial \n Thomas Jefferson Star for Foreign Service \n Statues\n Karl Bitter \n Louisville \n University of Virginia \n David d'Angers \n Jefferson Literary and Debating Society \n Thomas Jefferson Foundation \n Jefferson Lab \n Monticello Association \n Jefferson City, Missouri \n Jefferson College \n Thomas Jefferson University \n Washington and Jefferson National Forests \n Peaks and mountains \n Jefferson Rock \n Other placenames \n Jefferson\u2013Jackson Day \n Currency depictions\n Jefferson nickel \n Two-dollar bill \n Louisiana Purchase Exposition gold dollar \n 250th Anniversary silver dollar \n U.S. postage stamps \n
Cultural depictions	\n The Patriots (1946 play) \n 1776\n 1969 musical \n 1972 film \n Jefferson in Paris (1995 film) \n Thomas Jefferson (1997 film) \n John Adams (2008 miniseries) \n Jefferson's Garden (2015 play) \n Hamilton (2015 musical) \n Thomas Jefferson (2025 miniseries) \n Wine bottles controversy \n Cultural depictions of Sally Hemings \n
Family	\n Martha Jefferson (wife) \n Martha Jefferson Randolph (daughter) \n Mary Jefferson Eppes (daughter) \n Harriet Hemings (daughter) \n Madison Hemings (son) \n Eston Hemings (son) \n Thomas J. Randolph (grandson) \n George W. Randolph (grandson) \n Ellen Randolph Coolidge (granddaughter) \n Cornelia Jefferson Randolph (granddaughter) \n Francis Eppes (grandson) \n John Wayles Jefferson (grandson) \n Sarah N. Randolph (great-granddaughter) \n T. Jefferson Coolidge (great-grandson) \n Frederick Madison Roberts (great-grandson) \n Peter Jefferson (father) \n Jane Randolph Jefferson (mother) \n Lucy Jefferson Lewis (sister) \n Randolph Jefferson (brother) \n Peter Carr (nephew) \n Samuel Carr (nephew) \n Dabney Carr (nephew) \n Dabney S. Carr (grand-nephew) \n Isham Randolph (grandfather) \n William Randolph (great-grandfather) \n Henry Soane (2nd great-grandfather) \n
\n \u2190 John Adams \n James Madison \u2192 \n \u2190 John Adams \n Aaron Burr \u2192 \n $\"\"$ Category \n

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Early life and education

Career

Lawyer and House of Burgesses

Monticello, marriage, and family

Revolutionary War

Declaration of Independence

Virginia state legislator and governor

Notes on the State of Virginia

Member of Congress

Minister to France

Secretary of State

Election of 1796 and vice presidency

Election of 1800

Presidency (1801\u20131809)

Financial affairs

Domestic affairs

Foreign affairs (1801\u20131805)

First Barbary War

Louisiana Purchase

Expeditions

Native American affairs

Re-election in 1804 and second term

Controversies

Burr conspiracy and trial

Wilkinson's misconduct

Foreign affairs (1805\u20131809)

Attempted annexation of Florida

Chesapeake\u2013Leopard affair

Embargo (1807\u20131809)

Cabinet

Post-presidency (1809\u20131826)

University of Virginia

Reconciliation with Adams

Autobiography

Greek War of Independence

Lafayette's visit

Final days, death, and burial

Political, social, and religious views

Philosophy, society, and government

Democracy

Religion

Christianity

Islam

Banks

Slavery

Jefferson\u2013Hemings controversy

Interests and activities

American Philosophical Society

Linguistics

Inventions

Legacy

Historical reputation

Memorials and honors

Writings

See also

Notes

Citations

Works cited

Scholarly studies

Thomas Jefferson Foundation sources

Primary sources

Web site sources

External links

Thomas Jefferson

Talks

Thomas Jefferson's Talks