10 important facts about thomas jefferson

Thomas Jefferson was the third President of the United States and the principal author of the Declaration of Independence. He was a man of great intelligence yet he also embodied contradictions, speaking against slavery despite owning hundreds.

On April 29, 1962, at a White House dinner honouring Nobel Prize winners, John F.

Kennedy said: “I think this is the most extraordinary collection of talent, of human knowledge, that has ever been gathered together at the White House, with the possible exception of when Thomas Jefferson dined alone.”

Here are 10 facts about Thomas Jefferson.

1.

His achievements are hard to overstate

This testament to the astounding scope and resonance of Jefferson’s achievements is not especially over-stated. To list just the public offices he held: he was a founding father, third President of the United States, Governor of Virginia, US diplomat in Paris and Minister to France, first US Secretary of State under George Washington and Vice Presi