Thomas Jefferson (1743–1826) was born in Virginia. A founding father of the United States, Jefferson was the principal author of the Declaration of Independence and served as a delegate to the Continental Congress. After the Revolutionary War, Jefferson influenced the early years of the nation as a diplomat in France, the secretary of state under Washington, and finally as the third president of the United States. Among his many accomplishments are the Louisiana Purchase, the founding of the University of Virginia, dozens of inventions, and his role as the author of many of the core principles of American democracy.