John Wayles Eppes

John Wayles Eppes (April 19, 1773 - September 13, 1823) was the son of Francis Eppes and Elizabeth Wayles Eppes and the nephew of Thomas Jefferson. He was born near Petersburg, Virginia, and educated at home, at the College of William and Mary, and in Philadelphia. Under Jefferson's direction, Eppes studied the sciences and law. He became a successful attorney and planter, represented Virginia in the United States House of Representatives (1803-1811 and 1813-1815), and also served in the U.S. Senate (1817-1819).

On October 13, 1797, Eppes married Thomas Jefferson's daughter Maria. The couple had three children. Their only surviving child, Francis Wayles Eppes, was born at Monticello in 1801.

John Wayles Eppes was a staunch political supporter of Thomas Jefferson and the two men maintained a regular correspondence, which continued after Maria's death in 1804 and Eppes's marriage to Martha Burke Jones in 1809.^[1] With Martha, Eppes had four more children. After retiring from office in 1819 due to poor health, Eppes returned to Millbrook, his prosperous Buckingham County tobacco plantation, and remained there until his death in 1823.

Further Sources

• ANB.
• Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
• DAB.
• Jefferson-Eppes Correspondence. Transcriptions available at Founders Online.
• Look for further sources in the Thomas Jefferson Portal.