Filippo Mazzei | |
|---|---|
 Filippo Mazzei depicted in a portrait by Jacques-Louis David, c. 1790 | |
| Born | December 25, 1730 |
| Died | March 19, 1816 (aged 85) Pisa, Grand Duchy of Tuscany |
| Other names | Philip Mazzei |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 1752–1816 |
| Known for | Publishing (1774) a pamphlet containing the phrase "All men are by nature equally free and independent" (which Thomas Jefferson incorporated into the United States Declaration of Independence) |
Filippo Mazzei (Italian pronunciation: [fiˈlippo matˈtsɛi]; December 25, 1730 – March 19, 1816), also known in English as Philip Mazzei and sometimes erroneously cited as Philip Mazzie, 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 declaration was acknowledged by John F. Kennedy in his 1958 book A Nation of Immigrants.