Rushton seminars, a series that goes back to 1950. Its a series that included speakers such as keith brookes, randall general auden and seamus heaney. Today, were happy to welcome fred kaplan to the west oval room of the rotunda to speak on his designer Thomas Jefferson. Fred kaplan is distinguished Professor Emeritus of english at Queens College and the Graduate Center of the City University of new york. A scholar in century literature, kaplan has become best known as one of the most distinguished biographers of our era. He is published biographies of thomas carlyle, mark twain, henry james, charles dickens, John Quincy Adams, Abraham Lincoln gore vidal, and now Thomas Jefferson in his masterly pen. Kaplan offers us a biography of Thomas Jefferson by giving an english professors kind attention to jeffersons written words. Jefferson only published one book in his lifetime notes on the state of virginia. But, of course, jefferson wrote consul treatises like a summary view of the rights