When he was a boy, Thomas Jefferson collected Indian artifacts. As a man, he remained interested in every aspect of natural history, from botany to paleontology.

In 1801, while president of the American Philosophical Society, Jefferson secured financing for the excavation of prehistoric mastodon bones in New York.

The excavation was "captured" by noted artist Charles Willson Peale, who was also a member of the society.

Jefferson's interest in Indian artifacts and natural history undoubtedly played a part in his decision to purchase an extensive tract of Virginia land which contained within it the Natural Bridge (below), as well as dozens of historic and prehistoric Indian sites (in 1776).

The owner of one of the largest plantations in Virginia, Jefferson considered agriculture to be one of the country's most important sciences. He personally experimented with various methods of crop rotation, soil cultivation, animal breeding, seed production, and pest control, and helped spur development of improved agricultural implements. He also imported plants and trees from abroad, and tried growing olives, oranges, almonds, and French grapes at Monticello.

Throughout his governmental career, Jefferson never lost an opportunity to promote scientific inquiry. He recommended to Congress a coast survey to accurately chart the coast of America; this project later evolved into the United States Coast and Geodetic Survey. His report to Congress on a plan of coinage and weights and measures based on the decimal system was eventually expanded into the Bureau of Standards. As Secretary of State, Jefferson was also the head of the Patent Office, and he took pride in personally considering every patent application filed between 1790 and 1793.

See Also

American Philosophical Society
Mastodons
Charles Willson Peale
Monticello

Questions or comments about this page?

This page was last updated on August 30, 2018.