QUICK FACTS

Nickname: Sage of Monticello

Years in office: 1801–1809

Political party: Democratic-Republican

Birthday: April 13, 1743

Official presidential portrait of Thomas Jefferson

by Rembrandt Peale, 1800

Thomas Jefferson’s gravestone (Photo by PJ Creek)

Before his death, Thomas Jefferson left specific instructions for a monument to be constructed on his gravesite at Monticello. Believe it or not, his time as president isn’t mentioned.

In the 1800 election, Thomas Jefferson defeated incumbent John Adams. At the time, electors voted for two candidates, and as a result, Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr received the same number of electoral votes. The election was decided in the House of Representatives. Adams didn’t attend Jefferson’s inauguration, but power was transferred peacefully from one party to another.

After Jefferson’s peaceful and prosperous first term, he was easily elected to a second term.

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Monticello, Charlottesville, VA 

PRIVATE RETREAT

Poplar Forest, Lynchburg, VA

GRAVESITE

Monticello Graveyard, Charlottesville, VA

JEFFERSON MEMORIAL

Washington, D.C.

BOOKS

Davis, Kenneth C., and Pedro Martin. Don’t Know Much about the Presidents. New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 2014.

DeGregorio, William A., and Aaron Jaffe. The Complete Book of U.S. Presidents. Fort Lee, NJ: Barricade Books, Inc., 2017.

Kane, Joseph Nathan, and Janet Podell. Facts about the Presidents: A Compilation of Biographical and Historical Information. New York: H.W. Wilson, 2009.

WEBSITES

Encyclopedia Britannica, britannica.com

Library of Congress, loc.gov

Miller Center, University of Virginia, millercenter.org/the-presidency

The White House, whitehouse.gov

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