Thomas Jefferson was the president who founded the University of Virginia in 1819. He was also the founder of the Democratic-Republican Party and served as Vice President under John Adams. Thomas Jefferson was the third president of the United States and the principal author of the Declaration of Independence. He was also a scientist, architect and inventor.
Jefferson was born in 1743 in Shadwell, Virginia. He was educated at William and Mary College and studied law under George Wythe. In 1772, Jefferson became a member of Virginia’s House of Burgesses. In 1776, he drafted the Declaration of Independence; however, his name was left off because many believed he had secretly supported slavery. In 1779, he became governor of Virginia; however, he resigned when he found out that his friend Patrick Henry had been elected governor instead of him.
In 1784, Jefferson was sent to France as an ambassador to negotiate commercial treaties between America and France; however, his main task was to get help from King Louis XVI for American independence from Great Britain. Jefferson made several important contributions during this time: He negotiated the Louisiana Purchase from France for 15 million dollars; he wrote Notes on Virginia which argued against slavery; and he founded a school for Native American children in Charlottesville which later became the University of Virginia.
