Thomas Jefferson

Thomas Jefferson (English: Thomas Jefferson, April 13, 1743 - July 4, 1826), the third president of the United States (1801-1809). He is also the main drafter of the American Declaration of Independence and one of the most influential among the founding fathers of the United States. Major events during his tenure include the Louisiana Purchase (1803), the Embargo Act of 1807, the Lewis and Clark Exploration (1804-1806), etc. As a political scientist, Jefferson adhered to classical liberalism and republicanism and formulated the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom (1779, 1786); this law later became the basis for the creation of the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, and Jeffersonian democracy was named after him. In 1792, Jefferson founded and led the Democratic-Republican Party (the predecessor of the Democratic Party). Jefferson served as the second Governor of Virginia (1779-1781), the first U.S. Secretary of State (1789-1793), and the second Vice President of the United States (1797-1801). In 1800, Jefferson defeated Adams, who was running for re-election, and was elected as the third president of the United States. After that, the party he founded ruled the United States for a quarter of a century until the split in 1824. In addition to his political career, Jefferson was also an expert in agriculture, horticulture, architecture, etymology, archaeology, mathematics, cryptography, surveying and paleontology; he was also a writer, lawyer and violinist; he was also the founder of the University of Virginia. Many people believe that he is the wisest among all the previous U.S. presidents. Later, at a dinner party for 49 Nobel Prize winners in 1962, then-President John F. Kennedy said in his speech to the social elite in the room: "I feel that the White House tonight has the greatest gathering of talent and human knowledge--perhaps excluding the time when Jefferson was dining here alone." In the 2005 America Online poll "The Greatest American", Jefferson was voted the 12th greatest American figure.