Thomas Jefferson: the record

The Sage of Monticello. The 3rd president, 1801-1809, from Virginia. Every story here is tagged Record, meaning it’s documented, or Legend, meaning it gets told a lot and doesn’t hold up. Each one links to its source.

President: 3rd
In office: 1801-1809
Home state: Virginia
Party: Democratic-Republican
Height: 6'2"

The record

RecordJefferson rode a horse almost every day of his adult life, often for hours, and walked for exercise too. He thought staying active kept the mind sharp.Source: Encyclopedia Virginia, Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826)
RecordIn 1803 Jefferson bought the Louisiana Territory from France for about $15 million, which roughly doubled the size of the country.Source: Miller Center, Jefferson
RecordHe loved the violin and practiced for hours as a young man. He played less after he broke his right wrist in Paris in 1786.Source: Monticello, Violins
RecordJefferson wrote the first draft of the Declaration of Independence in 1776. He was 33.Source: National Archives, Declaration of Independence

What he cared about

A small federal government, and a country built on independent farmers.
Education. He founded the University of Virginia and counted it among his proudest work.
Growing west, from the Louisiana Purchase to sending Lewis and Clark to map it.

The full record

Jefferson wrote that all men are created equal while enslaving more than 600 people over his lifetime. Historians broadly accept that he fathered children with Sally Hemings, a woman he enslaved.

How he fights in POTUS KO

All reach, all legs

Jefferson liked a little distance: from crowds, from cities, from arguments he could win on paper instead. In the ring that's a fighter with long legs who never lets you get close.

See POTUS KO

Questions about Thomas Jefferson

What did Thomas Jefferson do for exercise?

Jefferson rode a horse almost every day of his adult life, often for hours, and walked for exercise too. He thought staying active kept the mind sharp.

How old was Jefferson when he wrote the Declaration of Independence?

Jefferson wrote the first draft of the Declaration of Independence in 1776. He was 33.

Did Thomas Jefferson play the violin?

He loved the violin and practiced for hours as a young man. He played less after he broke his right wrist in Paris in 1786.