1743–1826 · Presidents · Founders

Thomas Jefferson signature

Author of the Declaration of Independence and third President of the United States (1743–1826)

Inspired by Thomas Jefferson’s signature

A rendering in a modern handwriting font, made for this page. It is not the real signature; see where to view the original below. Where to see the original ↓Style: La Belle Aurore, slant 6°

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La Belle Aurore · 6°

Who Thomas Jefferson was

Thomas Jefferson (1743–1826) drafted the Declaration of Independence in 1776, then served as governor of Virginia, minister to France, Secretary of State and Vice President before becoming the third President of the United States, from 1801 to 1809. Late in life he founded the University of Virginia.

He died at Monticello on July 4, 1826, fifty years to the day after the Declaration was adopted, a few hours before John Adams.

The story of the signature

Jefferson usually signed “Th: Jefferson”, contracting Thomas to its first two letters and marking the cut with a colon, the same convention that gave Washington his “Go:”. The signature is small and neat, like his handwriting in general, which is regular and easy to read.

On the engrossed Declaration he signed with the Virginia delegation. The text above the signatures is not in his hand: the parchment was written out by a clerk, generally thought to be Timothy Matlack, from the text Congress had revised from Jefferson’s draft.

Jefferson was unusually careful about keeping copies of what he wrote. From 1804 he used a polygraph, a device that moved a second pen in step with the one in his hand, so each letter was copied as he wrote it. Many of his later letters survive both as sent and as his own copy.

What makes it distinctive

The “Th:” contraction

A two-letter first name with a colon, a standard eighteenth-century abbreviation.

Small and even

Letters of similar height, close spacing and no showy capitals: the signature of someone who wrote for clarity.

No flourish

The signature ends where the surname ends, without a paraph or underline.

How to give your signature a similar feel

Contract your first name with a colon the way Jefferson did, for example “Ch: Martin” or “Js: Lee”, and type it in the signature generator to see whether it still reads as your name.
For a compact, legible hand, try La Belle Aurore or Sacramento on the Type tab, with Size a little lower than usual and Slant between 4° and 8°.
Keep spacing tight and letter heights even. If you draw your signature, write smaller than feels natural; the Draw tab keeps fine detail.
Leave off the underline. A tidy name with no flourish matches this style best.

Where to see the original

These links lead to archives, libraries, museums and Wikimedia Commons.

Questions about Thomas Jefferson’s signature

Why did Jefferson sign “Th:”?

It is a contraction of Thomas. Shortened first names marked with a colon were common in eighteenth-century writing; Washington’s “Go:” works the same way.

Is the signed Declaration in Jefferson’s handwriting?

No. Jefferson wrote the drafts, but the signed parchment in the National Archives was written out by a clerk after Congress had revised the text. Jefferson’s own contribution to it is his signature.

Did Jefferson mention being president on his gravestone?

No. He wrote his own epitaph naming three achievements: author of the Declaration of Independence and of the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom, and father of the University of Virginia.