241 years ago, 33-year-old Thomas Jefferson helped draft the Declaration of Independence.
Over the course of his career, he would go on to serve the fledgling United States as governor of Virginia, minister to France, secretary of state, vice president, and, finally, the country’s third president.
Despite wearing so many hats in the government, Jefferson adhered to a relatively well-defined schedule throughout his life.
Here’s a look at the Founding Father’s daily routine:
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Jefferson didn’t wake up at a set time every day. Instead, he wrote that, “Whether I retire to bed early or late, I rise with the sun.” Typically, he would get out of bed whenever there was enough light for him to read the clock next to his bed.
Source: Thomas Jefferson Foundation, Monticello
He once boasted that he hadn’t slept late in 50 years, according to Colonial Williamsburg’s official blog.
Source: Colonial Williamsburg
Before breakfast, the Founding Father would tend to his correspondence. Over the course of his life, he wrote somewhere around 20,000 letters.
Source: Colonial Williamsburg, Early to Rise