Owner Comments:
Thomas Jefferson Presidential $1 Coin — Third President, 1801-1809
• Born: 13 April 1743
• Birthplace: Shadwell, Virginia
• Died: 4 July 1826 (natural causes)
• Best Known As: Author of the Declaration of Independence
Thomas Jefferson was the third president of the United States and one of the drafters of the Declaration of Independence.
Biographer James Parton said Thomas Jefferson could "calculate an eclipse, survey an estate, tie an artery, plan an edifice, try a cause, break a horse, dance a minuet, and play the violin."
Besides serving two terms as president, Jefferson served as vice-president, secretary of state, minister to France, congressman, governor of Virginia; he also founded the University of Virginia and served as president of the American Philosophical Society.
For all that, Jefferson is best remembered as a champion of human rights and the lead draftsman of the Declaration of Independence. High points of his presidency include the Louisiana Purchase from Napoleon and the exploration of the west by Lewis and Clark.
Sometimes referred to as the "silent member" of the Continental Congress, Thomas Jefferson spoke volumes with his pen. He drafted the Declaration of Independence at the age of 33, and later succeeded Benjamin Franklin as America’s foreign minister to France.
During his first term as President, Thomas Jefferson virtually doubled the size of the United States when his Administration successfully completed the Louisiana Purchase in 1803 and commissioned the Lewis & Clark Expedition to explore the new territory. The United States Mint’s recent Westward Journey Nickel Series™ marked the bicentennial of these important events.
At the end of his Presidency, Jefferson retired to Monticello, where he worked to establish the University of Virginia in nearby Charlottesville. In March 1825, the school opened to serve its first 123 students.