In 1801, he was elected the third President of the United States. It was during his presidency that he bought land that doubled the size of the U.S. and sent men to explore the western parts of the country.
More than a leader, Jefferson was also a lawyer, a farmer, a diplomat, a linguist, a scientist, a musician and an architect. He invented a plough that made cultivation of crops easier.
In his last years, he founded the University of Virginia which has grown to be one of the finest in America. Such genius made President Kennedy tell a group of Nobel laureates one evening in 1962:
I think this is the most extraordinary collection of talent, of human knowledge, that has ever gathered together at the White House, with the possible exception of when Thomas Jefferson dined alone.Many though his achievements were, Jefferson wanted to be remembered only as the author of the Declaration of Independence, of the Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom, and Father of the University of Virginia.
Among the virtues that made him accomplish such achievements were diligence and relentless curiosity. It is reported that when he was 77, he said the Sun had not caught him in bed in 50 years. And that, as they say, is the price of success.
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RECOMMENDATION: If you've enjoyed this story, you might also enjoy "Lessons From Ronald Reagan".
