Jefferson County was established in 1792 and named in honor of Thomas Jefferson, Secretary of State, formerly a member of the Continental Congress, principal author of the Declaration of Independence, and later Governor of Virginia, Vice President, and President of the United States. Sevier County was established in 1794 and named in honor of John Sevier, a colonel in the Revolutionary Army, a commander at King's Mountain, and a veteran of 35 battles in the Revolution and Indian Wars; he was Governor of the State of Franklin, represented his state in Congress three times, and served as the first Governor of Tennessee from 1796 to 1801 and from 1803 to 1809.