Page:Encyclopedia of Virginia Biography volume 2.djvu/35

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VIRGINIA BIOGRAPHY

elected in 178b. Among his important meas- ures in this office were the removal of the capital to Richmond, his maintaining Vir- ginia's quota in Washington's army in the North, and his supplying General Greene's army in the South with provisions and mu- nitions of war.

Jefferson narrowly escaped capture when Cornwallis' troops were so near Charlottes- ville that the legislature had to adjourn to Staunton. He declined to apply for a third election to the governorship in 1781, and employed his leisure in writing his "Notes on Virginia/' a work still regarded most highly. Congress appointed him one of the commissioners to treat for peace, but he de- clined because of the illness of his wife, who died September 6, 1782. Later he accepted the office of peace commissioner, but peace was restored before he could sail for Eu- rope. In 1783 he was elected to Congress, which sat at Annapolis, May 7, 1784. In this body his most prominent work was the ordinance for the government of the north- west territory. Congress again elected him minister, in conjunction with Mr. Adams and Benjamin Franklin, to negotiate treaties o: commerce with foreign nations. He sailed from Boston, July 5, 1784, and reached Paris, August 6. On the resignation of Dr. Franklin he was appointed minister pleni- potentiary to France. His three years there resulted in his arrangement of a satis- factory consular system between France and the United States. He meantime traveled extensively in Europe, and became intimate with many famous scientists, and his **Notes en Virginia," appearing in a French trans- lation, won for him great admiration. In November, 1789, he returned home on a six months leave of absence, and found

awaiting him his appointment as secretary of state by President Washington, whtth he accepted. During his five years service in thfs office, he distinguished himseli by many important public reports, but the differences with Hamilton, secretary of the treasury, grew so acute that Jefferson resigned, Janu- ary I, 1794. Washington vainly endeavoring to retain him. In September, 1794, Wash- ington urged him strongly to resume the state secretaryship, but he positively de- clined, declaring with emphasis that noth- ing could induce him to again engage in the public service. However, in 1796, he was the presidential candidate of the Democratic- Republican party, and his vote being next largest to Adams, under the constitution he became vice-president. This office imposed but light duties, and he gave much of his time to study and research, and prepared his famous "Manual of . Parliamentary Prac- tice," which has been the principal guide in Congress to the present day. In 1800 he again became the candidate of his party for the presidency, but though his vote in the electoral college was greater than his Feder- alist competitor, an equal vote was given to Aaron Burr, whom the Republicans in- tended to be vice-president, and the election under the constitution, as it then stood, came to the house of representatives. Here after a long continued attempt of the Feder- alists to reverse the decision of the people and to place Burr in the presidency, Jeffer- son was finally declared president. In this high office he held to the simplest forms of conduct, abolishing weekly levees, elaborate precedence, rules, etc. A signal innovation consisted in his communicating his mes- sages in writing instead of delivering them in person as Washington and Adams had

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