Thomas Jefferson (April 13, 1743 – July 4, 1826)

On February 17, 1801, Thomas Jefferson was elected
the third president of the United States. The election
constitutes the first peaceful transfer of power from
one political party to another in the United States.

By 1800, when he decided to run for president,
Thomas Jefferson possessed impressive political
credentials and was well-suited to the presidency.         

       
In addition to drafting the Declaration of
Independence, Jefferson had served in two
Continental Congresses, as minister to
France, as the nations first secretary of
state under George Washington and as
John Adams’ vice president.        

Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, and Benjamin Franklin
meet to review a draft of the Declaration of Independence. 

Jefferson Memorial in Washington, D.C.

    
    
    
    
    
   
On this day in 1936, the U.S. Baseball Hall of Fame elected its first members in Cooperstown, New York: Ty Cobb, Babe Ruth, Honus Wagner, Christy Matthewson and Walter Johnson.

‘Congress set January 7, 1789 as the date by which states were
required to choose electors for the country’s first-ever presidential election. A month later, on February 4, George Washington was
elected president by state electors and sworn into office on April
30, 1789.

Federal Hall in New York City

Camille Bohannon

President Abraham Lincoln, amid the most turbulent administration
and deadliest conflict in American history, defeated bitter personal
rival and former Civil War Gen. George McClellan to win re-election
on this day in history, Nov. 8, 1864. 

1864 National Union Party ticket

       
President Abraham      Vice President   
Lincoln                          Andrew Johnson