Signers of the Declaration of Independence: Virginia, Part 1

View Online Signers of the Declaration of Independence: Virginia, Part 1 July 24, 2026 | By David Vergun Delegates to the Second Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. The 56 delegates who signed the formal break from Britain are all considered Founding Fathers.     Virginia had seven delegates, but most notably was Thomas Jefferson, who is credited with drafting the declaration. His signature is at the bottom of the document, third column from the left. Jefferson was born April 13, 1743, on a plantation near Shadwell, Virginia. His father, Peter Jefferson, was a farmer and surveyor, and his mother was Jane Randolph. He had nine siblings. He attended boarding school until he was 16, when he decided to enroll in college.  Jefferson was accepted to the College of William and Mary in Virginia, where he studied mathematics, history, philosophy, Latin, Greek and French. In 1762, he studied law and began practicing in 1767. Two years later, he was elected to the Virginia House of Burgesses.  In 1770, the governor of the Virginia colony appointed Jefferson as a militia colonel, a rank and position he kept throughout the Revolutionary War, 15 years later.  In 1772, he married Martha Wayles, and they had six children. She died in 1782.  As the main drafter of the Declaration of Independence, Jefferson was inspired by ideals from philosophers of the enlightenment. The phrase, "all men are created equal," is one of the most well-known phrases of the declaration.  Although Jefferson publicly advocated for the abolition of slavery, he in fact owned hundreds of slaves at various times. He served as the governor of Virginia from 1779 to 1781. After the war, he was minister to France and was then appointed secretary of state by President George Washington, a position he held for three years. From 1797 to 1801, Jefferson served as vice president to John Adams, whom he later defeated to become the third U.S. president, serving two terms from 1801 to 1809.  Perhaps the most consequential act of his presidency was the $15 million Louisiana Purchase from France in April 1803. Acquiring the region between the Mississippi River and the Rocky Mountains approximately doubled the size of the United States.   Two months later, he appointed Meriwether Lewis and William Clark to lead an expedition west to scout out the new land.  During Jefferson's first presidential term, pirates from the Barbary States of Morocco, Tunis, Tripoli and Algiers in northwest Africa began raiding U.S. merchant ships in the Mediterranean. In 1805, a joint Navy and Marine Corps fleet was sent to that area to restore freedom of navigation.  This led to the Marines' hymn including the stanza "…to the Shores of Tripoli." As a lifelong proponent of education, Jefferson was instrumental in the 1819 founding of the University of Virginia in Charlottesville. He also assisted in the design of its stately campus, which was inspired by Greek and Roman architecture.  Jefferson died July 4, 1826, on the 50th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, just a few hours before his friend and sometimes rival, Adams. He is buried on his family property in Monticello, Virginia, along with his wife. In 1926, Congress authorized the construction of the Jefferson Memorial near the Tidal Basin in Washington. It was dedicated April 13, 1943, on Jefferson's 200th birthday. He is also on the $2 bill and the nickel, and he is one of the four figures on Mount Rushmore in South Dakota.  Jefferson has also been memorialized on postage stamps, schools, streets and other buildings throughout the country he helped found. This is the eighth installment in a series of articles about the men who signed the Declaration of Independence. The 56 delegates to the Second Continental Congress, representing the 13 colonies, are all considered Founding Fathers.

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Secretary of War General Officer Announcement for July 23, 2026

View Online Secretary of War General Officer Announcement for July 23, 2026 July 23, 2026 |  By War.gov Secretary of War Pete Hegseth announced today that the president has made the following nomination: Army Lt. Gen. Kevin D. Admiral for reappointment to the grade of lieutenant general, with assignment as commanding general, U.S. Army Europe-Africa/commander, Allied Land Command, NATO, Germany. Admiral is currently serving as commanding general, III Corps and Fort Hood, Fort Hood, Texas.

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Week in Photos

Week in Photos Discover the latest on DOW's missions, milestones and people through this curated collection of top photos. View Photos All Photo Collections

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Rosebank Mall launches The Urban Playground

Toys R Us revives Reggie's Rush for 'BirthYAY' | Digital payout solutions: Retail's next competitive advantage

Retail Fri 24 July 2026 ALL INDUSTRIES  | COMPANIES  | JOBS  | EVENTS  | SUBMIT NEWS  | ADVERTISE  | FOLLOW  | MY ACCOUNT  | SUBSCRIBE  |  UNSUBSCRIBE Rosebank Mall launches The Urban Playground to boost experiential retail Rosebank Mall is expanding its experiential offering with the launch of a new multi-purpose lifestyle destination designed to bring together sport, gaming, entertainment and content creation in one space... Read more Toys R Us revives nostalgic Reggie's Rush with R10k prize dash If you grew up in South Africa during the 90s, chances are you remember Reggie's Rush...Just 60 seconds to race through a toy store, filling a trolley with as many toys as possible. And now, it's back... read Why digital payout solutions are becoming retail's next competitive advantage Amelia Williams, head of Lesaka Payouts, says retailers are increasingly recognising the commercial value of well-designed incentive programmes... read aQuellé Mzansi Mango spreads joy to 2 deserving fans ISSUED BY AQUELLé Dreams became reality as aQuellé officially handed over two brand-new Suzuki Swift vehicles to the winners of the aQuellé Mzansi Mango Competition, which ran from 15 January 2026 to 15 June 2026... Read Design & Manufacturing Africa’s sustainable fashion future to be unveiled at Twyg’s Africa Textile Talks “This Textile Innovation Challenge is about discovering ideas that could help shape Africa’s textile future...” Read FMCG Why skills matter as much as funding for SA's food entrepreneurs WAEL KHOURY Food and beverage entrepreneurship is one of the most accessible entry points into the economy, but only if the skills are there to sustain it... Read Import/Export Western Cape opens export support programme for local business Local exporters can now apply for technical and operational support to scale globally... Read Regulatory Novo Nordisk v iDexis: What’s in a name (or, in this case, a compounded medicine)? While Shakespeare may have written “What’s in a name?”, this case replies, “Were it not Ozempic call’d, it does not retain that dear perfection...” Read Business Reserve Bank surprises with rate hold at 7% KATJA HAMILTON The Reserve Bank kept rates unchanged, offering stability for borrowers despite global inflation risks, with economists suggesting future cuts remain possible later... Read Inside the Precca Amendment Bill, part 2: The AI impact KIM REW Following part 1 of this article, we look at AI's role in both committing and detecting fraud, and what this means in terms of the Precca Amendment Bill... Read Featured Press Office of the day More   |   Join NielsenIQ The world's leading consumer intelligence company.​ Contact  |  News  |  VISIT PRESS OFFICE  |  @nielseniq  |  Linkedin  |  Facebook FOLLOW US List company List CV List new business List portfolio showcase List profile Submit event Submit gallery Submit job ad Submit new appointment Submit news Submit noticeboard Submit op-ed contribution Home My job ads My events My company My CV Advertising: We welcome your sales enquiries! Email sales and read more about our advertising rates 3rd Floor, 62 Roeland St, Gardens, Cape Town, 8001, South Africa. Tel +27 (0)21 404 1460 © 2026 bizcommunity.com. All rights reserved. Unsubscribe. Manage subscription. Subscribe. Change email. Change frequency to WEEKLY.