Background

Philip Mazzei was born on December 25, 1730 at Poggio-a-Caiano, Italy, the fourth child of Domenico and Elisabetta Mazzei.

Education

Having received there and in Prato an elementary education, Philip studied surgery at Santa Maria Nuova in Florence.

Career

In 1752 Philip accompanied a Dr. Salinas to Smyrna to practise medicine. Three years later he went to London, where he was a wine merchant for about eighteen years. In 1773 he sailed for Virginia to introduce the culture of grapes, olives, and such other fruits as might be expected to flourish there. Mazzei's agricultural experiment was carried on at "Colle, " a few miles east of Charlottesville, adjoining "Monticello. " It was not a success, mainly on account of the American Revolution, to which Mazzei devoted most of his time and energy. In June 1779, Gov. Patrick Henry sent Mazzei abroad to borrow money from the Grand Duke of Tuscany for the Commonwealth of Virginia. He, his wife, and his step-daughter were captured by the British and imprisoned for about three months on Long Island. To destroy evidence against him, Mazzei had thrown overboard his instructions and commission from the Governor, so when he finally arrived in Europe he found himself without the authority to act. Benjamin Franklin, believing that the federal government alone should make foreign debts, blocked at every turn Mazzei's attempt to borrow for the individual state of Virginia. So Mazzei busied himself gathering useful political and military information which he sent to Governor Jefferson. For his services the State of Virginia paid him six hundred luigi a year from January 8, 1779, to April 8, 1784. Late in 1783 Mazzei returned to America in quest of a consulate, but he was disappointed. On June 16, 1785, Mazzei sailed from New York for Europe, never to return to America. He published in Paris his Recherches historiques et politiques sur les États-Unis de l'Amérique septentrionale. Based in part on materials furnished by Jefferson, this was the most accurate work on America that had appeared in French, but, because of its very lack of extravagance, it failed to gain popularity. He had previously written several pamphlets on America. In 1788 he was appointed "Intelligencer to the King of Poland, " with a salary of 8, 000 livres annually. In 1792 Mazzei went to Warsaw, where he was private adviser to Stanislas II, until the second division of Poland forced his retirement. In 1802 the Emperor of Russia began paying him the pension of 1, 200 rubles a year, which the Polish government had granted him on his retirement. This pension continued until his death. In 1813 he completed his Memorie della Vita e delle Peregrinazioni del Fiorentino Filippo Mazzei. He died in Pisa and is there buried.

Achievements

• Philip Mazzei is known as Godfather of the Declaration of Independence. He was the forerunner of Thomas Paine and Thomas Jefferson and one of the main contributers to social reforms in Virgina. He became a Virgina agent in Europe and is credited with securing France's assistance during the American Revolution and his plan for capturing the British in New York.

Works

More photos

• book

  • My Life & Wanderings

    (My Life & Wanderings Hardcover Jan 01, 1980 Philip Mazzei)

  • Philip Mazzei, Jefferson's "Zealous Whig"

    (Book by Mazzei, Filippo)

  • Philip Mazzei: Selected Writings and Correspondence - Vol. 1: 1765 -1788, Vol. 2: 1788 - 1791, Vol. 3: 1792 - 1816 (With Slipcase)

Views

Philip was an ardent supporter of both religious and political freedom in Virginia.

Quotations: "All men are by nature created free and independent. Such equality is necessary in order to create a free government. It is necessary that all men be equal to each other in natural law. Class distinction has always been and will always be an effective obstacle and the reason for it is very clear. When in a nation you have several classes of men all must have their share in the government of the country; otherwise one class would dominate the other. But each share cannot be made perfectly equal; and even if it were possible they could not be maintained in perfect balance; and as soon as one exceeds the others the whole must crumble. That is why ancient republics did not last long. .. .I repeat it, a true Republican government cannot exist unless all men from the richest to the poorest are perfectly equal in their natural rights. .. .The Government of England, from its earliest times, until the death of Queen Elizabeth was either a despotic monarchy or an intolerable aristocracy or mixture of both. "

Personality

This extraordinarily versatile man lived in twenty-odd cities of importance in the old and new worlds, was a naturalized citizen of Virginia, and later a naturalized Pole. He carried on an active correspondence with Madison, Jefferson, Thomas Adams, and other Virginians. A letter to him from Jefferson, written on April 24, 1796, became famous in the history of American political controversy.

Quotes from others about the person

• "An intimacy of 40 years had proved to me his great worth, and friendship which begun in personal acquaintance, which was maintained after separation, without abatement by a constant interchange of letters. His esteem too in this country was very general; his early and zealous cooperation in the establishment of our independence having acquired for him here a great degree of favor. " - Giovanni Carmignani, an Italian professor at the University of Pisa

Connections

Early in 1774 Mazzei married Marie (Hautefeuille) Martin. His first wife having died in Virginia in 1788, Mazzei remarried in Pisa about 1796, and in 1798 had a daughter, Elisabetta.

Father:

Domenico Mazzei

Mother:

Elisabetta Mazzei

Wife:

Marie (Hautefeuille) Martin

1740 - 28 January 1788

Daughter:

Elisabetta Mazzei

Friend:

Thomas Jefferson

April 13, 1743 – July 4, 1826 Was an American Founding Father who was the principal author of the Declaration of Independence and later served as the third President of the United States from 1801 to 1809.

References

• Mazzei: Webster's Timeline History, 1590 - 2007
• Memorie Della Vita E Delle Peregrinazioni Del Fiorentino Filippo Mazzei.: V. 2 (Italian Edition)
• Philip Mazzei : World Citizen