Thomas Jefferson Family Secrets

by Hyland Jr., William G.

• ISBN13: 9781645720454
• ISBN10: 1645720454
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2022-07-12
• Publisher: Republic Book Publishers

Summary

Much has been written about Thomas Jefferson, the public man, and with good reason: he was the architect of our democracy and a visionary who expanded the nation’s physical boundaries to unimagined lengths. But the intensely private Jefferson joined in a conspiracy to make himself unknowable to the public. Thomas Jefferson: Family Secrets is a new and unprecedented examination of the ‘intimate’ Thomas Jefferson—from his return to Monticello after two terms as president until his death. Author William G. Hyland Jr. pierces Jefferson's private family veil and reveals little-known, poignant scenes of the relatives closest to Jefferson in his last years. Thomas Jefferson: Family Secrets is the first biography to uncover the dynamic relationship Jefferson had with his adult grandchildren. With a novelist’s skill and a scholar’s meticulous detail, Thomas Jefferson: Family Secrets explores new ground in Jefferson’s autumn years as a waning patriarch, enduring physical illness and family strife. These glimpses of Jefferson’s inner character will change the way readers think about this American icon: as a flawed—but benevolent—man.

Author Biography

William G. Hyland Jr. is the author of three books on the Jeffersons: In Defense of Thomas Jefferson (St. Martins/Thomas Dunne Books, 2009), Martha Jefferson: An Intimate Life with Thomas Jefferson (2015) and Long Journey with Mr. Jefferson: The Life of Dumas Malone (2013), and his most recent biography, George Mason: The Man Who Gave Us the Bill of Rights (Regnery 2019). He is an attorney and former Adjunct Professor of Law at Stetson University College of Law, and has written numerous articles and op-ed pieces.