| Cause of Death | Age | Burial Location | Vice President Grave # |
| Dehydration; Dysentery | 83 | Charlottesville, Virginia | 10th visited |
summer 2005.
This is the symbol Jefferson used as his coat
translates as "He who gives life gives liberty."
typically bowed to their visitors
when greeting them, but people
who went to receptions hosted
by Jefferson were welcomed by
a handshake.
was able to squeeze through the
bars for this photo.
* In his early years, Jefferson's closet friend was a young lad named Dabney Carr, who became Jefferson's brother-in-law when he married one of his sisters later on. One day, as Carr and Jefferson gazed out at the latter's land in the shade of a tree, the two made a pact. They promised that when one of them passed away, the survivor would bury his friend underneath that very tree. Carr died in 1773, and Jefferson kept his promise.
* Regarded by many historians to be one of the brightest presidents, Jefferson had a gift for writing, which is one of the reasons he was chosen to be the primary author of the Declaration of Independence. In addition to being good with words, he was a marvelous architect and an inventor. Jefferson created contraptions such as the revolving bookstand, the spherical sundial, and the swivel chair. He is also credited as the inventor of the dumbwaiter.
* Thomas Jefferson strongly opposed the establishment of banks in the United States, as he felt that they violated the rights of the people and that they were unconstitutional. When he served as George Washington's secretary of state, this topic often led to him butting heads with another of the president's cabinet members: Alexander Hamilton. Hamilton, who was the secretary of the treasury, believed that it was the government's duty to distribute and regulate currency throughout the land. Hamilton won in the long run, and the First Bank of the United States was established in 1791.
* As was the case with many of our nation's leaders, Jefferson emerged from the presidency in a huge amount of debt. He was able to bring in $23,950 in 1815, when he sold his book collection to the Library of Congress. 6,487 books belonging to the former president were added to the library's archive, which had been partially destroyed by the British in the War of 1812. In December of 1851, a fire broke out at the Library of Congress and turned many of Jefferson's books into ashes.
* Despite making it to the highest office in the land, Thomas Jefferson chose to leave that achievement out of his epitaph. The inscription on his obelisk reads:
HERE WAS BURIED
THOMAS JEFFERSON
AUTHOR OF THE
DECLARATION
OF
AMERICAN INDEPENDENCE
OF THE
STATUTE OF VIRGINIA
FOR
RELIGIOUS FREEDOM
AND FATHER OF THE
UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA
BORN APRIL 2. 1743 O.S.
DIED JULY 4. 1826
No where on the marker is it mentioned that he served as the third president of the United States, nor that he was vice president, governor of Virginia, or the secretary of state.
Second Lady: None
- Spouse: Martha Wayles Skelton Jefferson (m. 1772-1782)
Political Party: Democratic-Republican Party
Served Under: John Adams
Last Words: "Is it the fourth?... I resign my spirit to God, my daughter to my
country."
