William Short (1759–1849) was Thomas Jefferson's private secretary when he was ambassador in Paris, from 1786 to 1789. Jefferson, later the third President of the United States, referred to Short as his "adoptive son". Short, along with Jefferson, was a co-founder of Phi Beta Kappa at the College of William & Mary. He was the brother of Peyton Short.
During his time in Paris serving under Thomas Jefferson, he was often nominated as charge d'affai...
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William Short (1759–1849) was Thomas Jefferson's private secretary when he was ambassador in Paris, from 1786 to 1789. Jefferson, later the third President of the United States, referred to Short as his "adoptive son". Short, along with Jefferson, was a co-founder of Phi Beta Kappa at the College of William & Mary. He was the brother of Peyton Short.
During his time in Paris serving under Thomas Jefferson, he was often nominated as charge d'affaires in Jefferson's absence. In one instance, he attended, on behalf of Jefferson, the dedication of a bust of Lafayette arranged by Jefferson. It was a gift from the people of Virginia to the city of Paris. Jefferson was unable to attend due to one of his migraine-headache attacks.
Later, in 1790, he succeeded Thomas Jefferson as Minister to France, and he provided Jefferson, back in Virginia, with detailed reports on the progress of the French revolution. Subsequently, Short was Minister to the Netherlands and to Spain.
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