The Other Presidency: Thomas Jefferson and the American Philosophical Society

In 1780, the American Philosophical Society elected Thomas Jefferson to its membership, the beginning of a relationship that would last until Jefferson’s death in 1826. During those 46 years, Jefferson served as a member of the Society’s Council (its governing board), held the office of Vice President from 1793 to 1795, and finally was its President from 1797 to 1814. His election to the APS presidency, Jefferson remarked, was “the most flattering incident of my life,” and he held onto this appointment even while serving as Vice President and President of the United States. After resigning from the APS presidency in 1814, he continued to stay involved in Society business through an extensive correspondence network, as an elected Councilor from 1818 until his death, and by contributing important collections, nominating new Members, and providing general guidance to Society officers and committees that ran the Society’s affairs. Needless to say, on at least this superficial level, the APS was a large part of Jefferson’s life.