Thomas Jefferson was the third president of the United States, who also drafted the Declaration of Independence and served as the first secretary of state. As president, he was responsible for the Louisiana Purchase. He was also the founder and architect of the University of Virginia.

As an established institution with campuses across various locations, including our vibrant main campus in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Jefferson offers nearly 200 programs, featuring a diverse array of majors for both undergraduate and graduate students.

Thomas Jefferson is widely considered the patron saint of America’s most sacred beliefs, and the central figure in the story of American democracy. Jefferson began working as a lawyer in 1767.

Many words describe Thomas Jefferson. He is best remembered for writing the Declaration of Independence, for serving as the third president of the United States, and for championing universal rights while holding over 600 people in slavery.

Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826) was an American lawyer, statesman, philosopher, and a Founding Father of the United States. A prominent figure of the American Revolution...

Thomas Jefferson, a spokesman for democracy, was an American Founding Father, the principal author of the Declaration of Independence (1776), and the third President of the United States (1801–1809).

Jefferson’s career during his presidency is so integral a part of the history of the country, that it cannot be described here. The freedom of the individual human being was ever his main concern, and it was his faith in men that made him a prophet of progress.