Thomas Jefferson

1743-04-13 - 1826-07-04 Contemporaries

Thomas Jefferson (1743–1826) was a Founding Father and the third president of the United States, serving from 1801 to 1809. From 1797 to 1801 he served as the second vice president under John Adams. A prolific writer and philosopher, he was the primary author of the Declaration of Independence, and his political philosophy of republicanism, individual liberty, agrarianism, and limited government formed the basis of Jeffersonian democracy. He enslaved more than 600 people over his lifetime.