Thomas Jefferson was born in 1743 in Virginia and educated in law. He married Martha Wayles Skelton in 1772, though she passed away in 1782 from diabetes. Jefferson went on to have a prominent political career, serving as the first Secretary of State and helping to establish the Democratic-Republican party. He was elected the third US President in 1800 and served two terms, during which he completed the Louisiana Purchase. Jefferson passed away on July 4, 1826 at the age of 83, on the 50th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.