President of the American Philosophical Society for seventeen years and the only American of his time to be elected as a foreign associate of the Institute of France, Jefferson was known internationally as a man of learning. Influenced by Enlightenment thinkers like Sir Isaac Newton, Jefferson believed that a rational system of order governed the natural world, and that by applying these rules of science, the condition of man could be improved.įascinated with almost every aspect of science, Jefferson was particularly interested in those fields like astronomy, which were informed "by the aid of mathematical calculation," perhaps because he noted that "No two men can differ on a principle of trigonometry." As Secretary of State, Jefferson established America's decimal system of currency, and argued unsuccessfully for the adoption of a decimal system of weights and measures.
His Cabinet was filled with devices for observing, measuring, and recording nature.
Jefferson also used the Cabinet for experiments, claiming that "Nature intended me for the tranquil pursuits of science, by rendering them my supreme delight." Jefferson read widely in the sciences, and corresponded frequently with enthusiasts worldwide. In addition, he designed the Virginia State Capitol, planned the University of Virginia, and worked with Pierre Charles L'Enfant to create the city plan for Washington, D.C. He particularly admired the work of the Renaissance Italian Andrea Palladio, whose Four Books of Architecture Jefferson reportedly referred to as "the Bible." Among Jefferson's first creations was the original Monticello, which he later significantly revised. Jefferson was a self-taught architect who learned the art by studying books on the subject. Architecture: "One of My Favorite Amusements" In these rooms, Jefferson pursued any of several activities, ranging from architecture and astronomy to the more mundane, accounting. In the late evening, Thomas Jefferson retired to his private suite of rooms, what one guest called his "sanctum sanctorum." The suite arrangement was a feature he had seen in France, and consisted of four connected rooms: his Bedroom Study, or Cabinet Greenhouse and Book Room.
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