Thomas was born on April 13, 1743. In 1759, he went to the College of William and Mary and became a lawyer. In 1769, he served in the Virginia House of Burgesses. In April 1775, the Revolutionary War began for the American colonies to be free from England. He wrote the Declaration of Independence in 1776. During the war, the people said to Thomas to go to Paris, France to help write the Treaty of Paris. In 1779, he was Governor of Virginia. In 1797, he was Vice President of the United States. In 1800, he became President. On July 4, 1826, fifty years after the Declaration of Independence was written, he died.