Filippo Mazzei | |
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Born | |
Died | March 19, 1816 | (aged 85)
Other names | Philip Mazzei |
Occupation(s) | Physician, philosopher, diplomat, winemaker, merchant, promoter of liberty and author |
Years active | 1752–1816 |
Known for | In 1774 he published a pamphlet containing the phrase, which Thomas Jefferson incorporated essentially intact into the United States Declaration of Independence: "All men are by nature equally free and independent" |
Filippo Mazzei (Italian pronunciation: [matˈtsei]), also known as Philip Mazzei and sometimes erroneously cited as Philip Mazzie (December 25, 1730 – March 19, 1816), was an Italian physician, philosopher, diplomat, winemaker, merchant, promoter of liberty and author. A close friend of Thomas Jefferson, he was a strong supporter of the American Revolution and the American colonies' war for independence from Britain.
In 1774 he published a pamphlet containing the phrase, which Jefferson incorporated essentially intact into the United States Declaration of Independence: "All men are by nature equally free and independent". The contribution of Filippo Mazzei to the U.S. Declaration of Independence was acknowledged by John F. Kennedy in his 1958 book A Nation of Immigrants.