Thomas Jefferson 1734-1826

America's third president was born near Williamsburg in Virginia. He became a lawyer and the chief author of the Declaration of Independence. Jefferson was also a political philosopher, literate in six languages, a slave-owner, an anti-slavery campaigner, a gifted architect and an enthusiastic gardener who kept a Garden Book (published in 1944). Jefferson was involved with Pierre L'Enfant's plan for Washington DC and designed the buildings and the campus for the University of Virginia. He was a truly great man.