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Minister to France
Portrait of Thomas Jefferson while in London in 1786 at 43 by Mather Brown
On May 7, 1784, Jefferson was appointed by the Congress of the Confederation[h] to join Benjamin Franklin and John Adams in Paris as Minister Plenipotentiary for Negotiating Treaties of Amity and Commerce with Great Britain and other countries.[117][i] With his young daughter Patsy and two servants, he departed in July 1784, arriving in Paris the next month.[119][120] Jefferson had Patsy educated at the Pentemont Abbey. Less than a year later he was assigned the additional duty of succeeding Franklin as Minister to France. French foreign minister Count de Vergennes commented, "You replace Monsieur Franklin, I hear."Jefferson replied, "I succeed. No man can replace him."[121] During his five years in Paris, Jefferson played a leading role in shaping U.S. foreign policy.[122]
In 1786, he met and fell in love with Maria Cosway, an accomplished—and married—Italian-English musician of 27. They saw each other frequently over a period of six weeks. She returned to Great Britain, but they maintained a lifelong correspondence.