John Adams

John Adams
Portrait c. 1800–1815
2nd President of the United States
In office March 4, 1797 – March 4, 1801
Vice President	Thomas Jefferson
Preceded by	George Washington
Succeeded by	Thomas Jefferson
1st Vice President of the United States
In office April 21, 1789 – March 4, 1797
President	George Washington
Preceded by	Office established
Succeeded by	Thomas Jefferson
1st United States Minister to Great Britain
In office April 1, 1785 – February 20, 1788[1]
Appointed by	Congress of the Confederation
Succeeded by	Thomas Pinckney
1st United States Minister to the Netherlands
In office April 19, 1782 – March 30, 1788[1]
Appointed by	Congress of the Confederation
Succeeded by	Charles W. F. Dumas (acting)
United States Envoy to France
In office November 28, 1777[2][3] – March 8, 1779
Preceded by	Silas Deane
Succeeded by	Benjamin Franklin
Chairman of the Marine Committee
In office October 13, 1775 – October 28, 1779
Preceded by	Office established
Succeeded by	Francis Lewis (Continental Board of Admiralty)
12th Chief Justice of the Massachusetts Superior Court of Judicature
In office October 1775 – February 1777
Appointed by	Provincial Congress
Preceded by	Peter Oliver
Succeeded by	William Cushing
Delegate from Massachusetts to the Continental Congress
In office September 5, 1774 – November 28, 1777
Preceded by	Office established
Succeeded by	Samuel Holten
Personal details
Born	October 30, 1735 [O.S. October 19, 1735] Braintree, Massachusetts Bay, British America (now Quincy)
Died	July 4, 1826(1826-07-04) (aged 90) Quincy, Massachusetts, U.S.
Resting place	United First Parish Church
Political party	Pro-Administration (before 1795) Federalist (1795–c. 1808) Democratic-Republican (from c. 1808)[4]
Spouse	Abigail Smith ​ ​ (m. 1764; died 1818)​
Children	6, including Abigail, John Quincy, Charles, and Thomas
Parents	John Adams Sr. Susanna Boylston
Education	Harvard College (AB, AM)
Occupation	Politician lawyer
Signature

John Adams (October 30, 1735 – July 4, 1826) was an American statesman, attorney, diplomat, writer, and Founding Father who served as the second president of the United States from 1797 to 1801. Before his presidency, he was a leader of the American Revolution that achieved independence from Great Britain. During the latter part of the Revolutionary War and in the early years of the new nation, he served the U.S. government as a senior diplomat in Europe. Adams was the first person to hold the office of vice president of the United States, serving from 1789 to 1797. He was a dedicated diarist and regularly corresponded with important contemporaries, including his wife and adviser Abigail Adams and his friend and political rival Thomas Jefferson.

A lawyer and political activist prior to the Revolution, Adams was devoted to the right to counsel and presumption of innocence. He defied anti-British sentiment and successfully defended British soldiers against murder charges arising from the Boston Massacre. Adams was a Massachusetts delegate to the Continental Congress and became a leader of the revolution. He assisted Jefferson in drafting the Declaration of Independence in 1776 and was its primary advocate in Congress. As a diplomat he helped negotiate a peace treaty with Great Britain and secured vital governmental loans. Adams was the primary author of the Massachusetts Constitution in 1780, which influenced the United States Constitution, as did his essay Thoughts on Government.

Adams was elected to two terms as vice president under President George Washington and was elected as the United States' second president in 1796. He was the only president elected under the banner of the Federalist Party. Adams's term was dominated by the issue of the French Revolutionary Wars, and his insistence on American neutrality led to fierce criticism from both the Jeffersonian Republicans and from some in his own party, led by his rival Alexander Hamilton. Adams signed the controversial Alien and Sedition Acts, and built up the Army and Navy in the undeclared naval war with France. He was the first president to reside in the White House.

In his bid in 1800 for reelection to the presidency, opposition from Federalists and accusations of despotism from Jeffersonians led to Adams losing to his vice president and former friend Jefferson, and he retired to Massachusetts. He eventually resumed his friendship with Jefferson by initiating a continuing correspondence. He and Abigail generated the Adams political family, including their son John Quincy Adams, the sixth president. John Adams died on July 4, 1826 – the fiftieth anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence. Adams and his son are the only presidents of the first twelve who never owned slaves. Historians and scholars have favorably ranked his administration.