Jefferson, Thomas (1743-1826) The third president of the United States.
In the election of 1800, he tied with Aaron Burr in electoral votes and
was chosen president by the House of Representatives. Prior to his term
as president, Jefferson served as the wartime governor of Virginia and
served a short stint as Washington's secretary of state. Of all early
American leaders, Jefferson was the first to leave a substantial
literary record of his life.
An Anecdote of Doctor Franklin (1826) From "Biographical Sketches of
Distinguished Men." Jefferson relates a conversation he had with
Benjamin Franklin while the "Declaration of Independence" was under the
consideration of Congress. Franklin tells the story of an apprentice
hatter whose experience while trying to finalize the inscription for
his sign-board taught Franklin to avoid "becoming the draughtsman of
papers to be reviewed by a public body."
