Heir through Hope: Thomas Jefferson's Lifelong Investment in William Short

Thomas Jefferson and William Short had a forty-year bond that began as a patron-protégé arrangement. Jefferson encouraged Short's legal career and gave him his first legal work. Short underwrote substantial short-term loans to Jefferson but wanted to pursue a foreign service career and a long affair with a French aristocrat. Jefferson wanted Short to embrace a Virginia way of looking at the world, but he resisted and rejected Jefferson's ideas about slavery, economics, marriage, the practice of democratic government, and republican morality. He showed little respect for Jefferson's political achievements but was conscious of living in the statesman's shadow. Jefferson invested emotional energy and time in his adoptive son, even during his vice-presidency and presidency, but diverted Short's money for his own use.

Format: Hardback
Length: 288 pages
Publication date: 22 December 2023
Publisher: Oxford University Press Inc

The relationship between Thomas Jefferson and William Short, the eldest son of an established Virginia family and relative of Martha Jefferson, began as a patron-protégé arrangement conventional for the era. Jefferson encouraged Short's legal career and gave him his first legal work. Thus began a bond of forty years that both men characterized in paternal and filial terms and that sheds considerable light on the enigmatic Founding Father.

In the aftermath of Jefferson's precipitous flight from Monticello, Short underwrote substantial short-term loans to him. Jefferson took the younger man to France as his private secretary in 1784 but, quickly concluding that his moral well-being and political judgment were at risk, he urged Short to return to America and settle down. Short, however, wished to pursue a foreign service career and a long affair with a French aristocrat. Jefferson wanted Short to embrace a Virginia way of looking at the world, even buying him a farm near Monticello. Short resisted – and rejected Jefferson's ideas about slavery, economics, marriage, the practice of democratic government, and republican morality, but without rejecting his friend and father. He showed little respect for Jefferson's political achievements, viewing him as a well-meaning visionary, yet he was conscious of living in the statesman's shadow.

William Short was not Thomas Jefferson's intellectual equal, was not a political collaborator, and never became a neighbor, yet the elder man invested considerable emotional energy and time in his adoptive son, even during his vice-presidency and presidency. By efficiently managing the younger man's financial affairs, Jefferson enabled his extended stay in France, but also diverted Short's money for his own use. Although he believed Short's political views were misguided, he respected his intelligence and believed that he had the potential to be a valuable diplomat.

Despite their differences, Jefferson and Short remained close friends until Short's death in 1800. Short's legacy is often overshadowed by his father's more famous achievements, but he played a significant role in shaping American foreign policy during the early years of the nation. He was a strong advocate for American independence and played a key role in negotiating the Treaty of Paris, which ended the American Revolution.

In conclusion, the relationship between Thomas Jefferson and William Short was a complex and multifaceted one that spanned forty years and multiple continents. While Short was not Jefferson's intellectual equal or political collaborator, he was a loyal friend and father figure who played a significant role in shaping American history. Jefferson's investment in Short's career and personal life sheds light on the enigmatic Founding Father and his complex relationship with his adopted son.

Weight: 568g
Dimension: 165 x 243 x 30 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780197546833