A statue to Thomas Jefferson on the lawn of the University of Virginia was defaced with the words 'racist' and 'rapist' early on Friday morning, just before the start of celebrations marking the 275th anniversary of his birth.

The marble base of the Founding Father's 1910 sitting sculpture was daubed in crudely-lettered red spray paint, which was quickly scrubbed out by officials at the school in Charlottesville.

Jefferson - author of the Declaration of Independence, third U.S. president and founder of UVA - is thought to have fathered six children with Sally Hemings, a woman who was enslaved on his plantation.

The marble base of the Founding Father's 1910 sitting sculpture was daubed in crudely-lettered red spray paint, (left) which was quickly scrubbed out by officials at the school in Charlottesville. Pictured right: A file photo of what the statue usually looks like

In public, Jefferson was a consistent opponent of slavery, describing it as a 'hideous blot' and a 'moral depravity', yet he enslaved more than 600 people over the course of his life.

At the time of the American Revolution, Jefferson was drafting a Virginia law prohibiting the importation of enslaved Africans, and six years later suggested an ordinance that would outlaw slavery in the Northwest Territories.

Yet he always maintained that abolition could only come around as part of the democratic process, and was opposed by moves by the federal government to enact abolition.

His statue was a focus of unrest during last August's Unite The Right rally, which saw students encircle the monument while surrounded by white supremacists carrying torches.

Jefferson - author of the Declaration of Independence and third U.S. president - is thought to have fathered six children with Sally Hemings, a woman who was enslaved on his plantation. Pictured: The statue on Friday morning

In public, Jefferson was a consistent opponent of slavery, describing it as a 'hideous blot' and a 'moral depravity', yet he enslaved more than 600 people over the course of his life

The two-day protests were sparked by plans to remove a statue to the confederate general Robert E Lee, which was commissioned in 1917 and built in 1924 - nearly 60 years after the end of the Civil War.

Jefferson (pictured in aN 1805 painting) thought abolition could only come around as part of the democratic process, and was opposed by moves by the federal government to enact abolition

The protest ended when a white supremacist drove his car through a crowd of counter protesters, killing 32-year-old Heather Heyer.

On the one-month anniversary of the rally, Left-wing activists shrouded the statue in black as a protest against the rally, and covered it with slogans including 'Black Lives Matter' and 'TJ is a racist'.

Roughly 100 students were at that protest, where they chanted 'No Trump, no KKK, no racist UVA'.

Jefferson was born on April 13, 1743, and that date each year is known as Founder’s Day.

UVA marks the occasion by awarding its highest external honors, the Thomas Jefferson Foundation Medals in Architecture, Law and Citizen Leadership.

Jefferson's statue was a focus of unrest during last August's Unite The Right rally, which saw students encircle the monument while surrounded by white supremacists carrying torches

August's protests (seen in this file photo) ended when a white supremacist drove his car through a crowd of counter protesters, killing 32-year-old Heather Heyer

A UVA spokesman said: 'The university is disappointed that individuals vandalized the statue of Thomas Jefferson on the Lawn on the day that we honor his contributions to our University and to our democracy.

'The university recognizes the complexities of Thomas Jefferson’s legacy and continues to explore them fully and honestly.

'UVA welcomes open and civil discourse on such important issues. However, acts of vandalism do not contribute to meaningful discussion.

'Crews from Facilities Management are removing the vandalism, and the University Police Department is investigating the incident.'

The vandalised is being investigated by university police.