Thomas Jefferson (1743- 1826) was an American politician, thinker, philosopher, scientist and educator, and the third president of the United States. He was one of the major writers during the American Revolutionary War. 1776, as a member of the drafting committee including john adams and Benjamin Franklin, he drafted the American Declaration of Independence. Since then, he has served as the first secretary of state, the second vice president and the third president of the United States. During his tenure, he protected agriculture and developed national capitalist industries. The purchase of Louisiana from France almost doubled the territory of the United States. He is generally regarded as one of the most outstanding presidents in American history, along with Washington, Lincoln and Roosevelt.