One of the American Founding Fathers, Thomas Jefferson, served America as its third President after serving under John Adams as Vice President. His first attempt to be President resulted in him losing by a mere 3 votes. He was obsessed with books. At the time, he had the most extensive book collection in the United States. After the British raided the Library of Congress in 1814, he offered his library of almost 6,500 books as a replacement. According to Whitehouse records, even with all of his book smarts, he was a bad public speaker. One of his first initiatives, not a popular one, eliminated the tax on Whiskey. He loved animals and collecting fossils, including the bones of a mastodon. As a wine connoisseur with vineyards at Monticello, he also popularized French foods, ice cream, mac ‘n’ cheese, and French fries in America.