Thomas Jefferson — 3rd President (1801–1809)

**Thomas Jefferson** is the author of American ideals and the embodiment of American contradictions. He wrote "all men are created equal" while enslaving over 600 people. He doubled the nation's size with the Louisiana Purchase while arguing for strict constitutional interpretation that arguably didn't permit it. He was a polymath — architect, inventor, farmer, philosopher, diplomat, violinist — who believed that an informed citizenry was the only defense against tyranny.