Profile of the Day: Thomas Jefferson

Thomas Jefferson

On this day in 1801, Thomas Jefferson was elected the third President of the United States over his running mate, Aaron Burr, who also happened to be his 11th cousin.

The election of 1800 was one of the most intense and contentious elections in U.S. history and exposed one of the flaws in the original Constitution. The then Vice President Thomas Jefferson had defeated President John Adams, but due to the rules outlined in the Constitution, members of the Electoral College were given two votes to name the president and vice president. The person who received the majority of the votes would be named president, and the person who came in second would be named vice president. However, for the nation’s fourth presidential election, the vote resulted in a tie between Jefferson and Burr, sending the election to the House of Representatives.

After a long, arduous debate, the House voted in favor of Jefferson. He was inaugurated as the third President of the United States on March 4, 1801. Three years later, the 12th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was ratified, stipulating that electors make a discrete choice between their selections for president and vice president.

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Image: Wikimedia Commons