John Adams

John Adams (October 30, 1735 – July 4, 1826) was the first (1789–1797) Vice President of the United States, and the second (1797–1801) President of the United States. His son, John Quincy Adams, was the sixth President of the United States (1825–1829).

Early life

Adams was born on October 30 (October 19 Old Style, Julian Calendar), 1735 in Braintree, Massachusetts; his birthplace is now a national park. His father, a farmer, also named John, was a fourth-generation descendant of Henry Adams, who emigrated from Devon, England, to Massachusetts in about 1636; his mother was Susanna Boylston Adams.

Related Topics:
October 30 - October 19 - Old Style - Julian Calendar - Braintree, Massachusetts - Birthplace - Devon - England - Massachusetts - 1636

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Young Adams graduated from Harvard College in 1755, and for a time taught school in Worcester and studied law in the office of James Putnam. In 1758, he was admitted to the bar. From an early age he developed the habit of writing descriptions of events and impressions of men. The earliest of these is his report of the 1761 argument of James Otis in the superior court of Massachusetts as to the legality of Writs of Assistance. Otis? argument inspired Adams with zeal for the cause of the American colonies. Years later, when he was an old man, Adams undertook to write out, at length, his recollections of this scene.

Related Topics:
Harvard - 1755 - Worcester - James Putnam - 1758 - Bar - 1761 - James Otis - Writs of Assistance

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In 1764 Adams married Miss Abigail Smith (1744–1818), the daughter of a Congregational minister at Weymouth, Massachusetts. Their children were Abigail Amelia (1765-1813); future president John Quincy (1767-1848); Susanna Boylston (1768-70); Charles (1770-1800); Thomas Boylston (1772-1832); and an infant daughter (1777).

Related Topics:
1764 - Abigail Smith - 1744 - 1818 - Congregational - Weymouth

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Adams had none of the qualities of popular leadership of his second cousin, Samuel Adams; instead, his influence emerged through his work as a constitutional lawyer. Impetuous, intense and often vehement, Adams often found his inborn contentiousness to be a handicap in his political career. These qualities were particularly manifested at a later period—as, for example, during his term as president.

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