Thomas Jefferson was elected an APS Member in 1780 and was its president for 17 years, before, during, and after he was president of the United States.

Painter Thomas Sully visited Monticello in 1821 to make sketches of Jefferson for this portrait. At 78, Jefferson considered himself too old for the artist's effort. His fur-collared coat lends Jefferson the air of an explorer and was a gift from Thaddeus Kosciuszko, Polish hero of the American Revolution. Sully was elected a Member of the APS in 1835. From 1812-1815 he rented studio space in APS’s Philosophical Hall, now the location of the APS Museum.