John Quincy Adams

6th President John Quincy Adams, 1825-18296th President John Quincy Adams, 1825-18296th President John Quincy Adams, 1825-18296th President John Quincy Adams, 1825-18296th President John Quincy Adams, 1825-18296th President John Quincy Adams, 1825-1829

6th President John Quincy Adams, 1825-1829

6th President of the United States
(March 4, 1825 to March 3, 1829)

Full Name: John Quincy Adams
Nickname: "Old Man Eloquent"

Born: July 11, 1767, in Braintree (now Quincy), Massachusetts
Died: February 23, 1848, in Washington, D.C.

Father: John Adams (1735-1826)
Mother: Abigail Smith Adams (1744-1818)
Married: Louisa Catherine Johnson (1775-1852), on July 26, 1797
Children: George Washington Adams (1801-29); John Adams (1803-34); Charles Francis Adams (1807-86); Louisa Catherine Adams (1811-12)

Religion: Unitarian
Education: Graduated from Harvard College (1787)
Occupation: Lawyer
Political Party: Democratic-Republican
Other Government Positions:

  • Secretary to U.S. Minister to Russia, 1781
  • Minister to the Netherlands, 1794
  • Minister to Prussia, 1797-1801
  • United States Senator, 1803-08
  • Minister to Russia, 1809-11
  • Peace Commissioner at Treaty of Ghent, 1814
  • Secretary of State, 1817-25 (under Monroe)
  • Member of U.S. House of Representatives, 1831-48

Presidential Salary: $25,000/year

Presidential Election Results:

YearCandidateElectoral Votes
1820James Monroe231
(map)John Quincy Adams1
(Votes Not Cast)3

YearCandidatePopular VotesElectoral Votes
1824John Quincy Adams108,74084
(map)Andrew Jackson153,54499
Henry Clay47,13637
William H. Crawford46,61841

YearCandidatePopular VotesElectoral Votes
1828Andrew Jackson647,286178
(map)John Quincy Adams508,06483

Vice President: John C. Calhoun (1825-29)

Cabinet:

Secretary of State
Henry Clay (1825-1829)
Secretary of the Treasury
Richard Rush (1825-29)
Secretary of War
James Barbour (1825-28)
Peter B. Porter (1828)
Attorney General
William Wirt (1825-29)
Secretary of the Navy
Samuel L. Southard (1825-29)

Supreme Court Justices:
Robert Trimble (1826-1828)

Notable Events:
  • 1825
    • The appointment of Henry Clay as secretary of state, led to charges that the Clay and Adams made a bargain in the election of 1824.
    • Erie Canal completed.
  • 1828
Internet Biographies:
John Quincy Adams -- from The Presidents of the United States of America
Compiled by the White House.
John Quincy Adams -- from The American President
From the Miller Center of Public Affairs at the University of Virginia, in addition to information on the Presidents themselves, they have first lady and cabinet member biographies, listings of presidential staff and advisers, and timelines detailing significant events in the lives of each administration.
John Quincy Adams -- from Encyclopaedia Britannica
Facts about Adams and his presidency.
America's Christian Rulers: John Quincy Adams -- from Forerunner International
Biography of Adams from a Christian viewpoint. Choices made by Adams during his presidency were defended using the Bible. Quotations by Adams are included.
Videos:
Historical Documents:
Inaugural Address (1825)
The Jubilee of the Constitution (1839)
Argument in the Amistad trial (1841)
John Quincy Adams Digital Collections - from the Library of Congress

 

Other Internet Resources:
Adams National Historical Site
The birthplace of John Quincy Adams and other notable Americans. From the National Park Service.
The Best Biographies of John Quincy Adams
In 2012, Stephen Floyd started his search for the best biography of each president. He usually has reviews of multiple biographies for each president.
Health and Medical History of John Q. Adams
Medical background of each president with references. Compiled by John Sotos, MD.
Points of Interest:

135 Adams Street, Quincy, Massachusetts

141 Franklin Street, Quincy, Massachusetts
Additional Facts:
  • President Adams regularly swam nude in the Potomac River. Anne Royall, the first American professional journalist, knew of Adams' 5 A.M. swims. After being refused interviews with the president time after time, she went to the river, gathered his clothes and sat on them until she had her interview. Before this, no female had interviewed a president.
  • Adams was the first to be elected president without receiving either the most popular votes or the most votes of the electoral college.
  • Adams was the first president married abroad.
  • Adams was the first president to be photographed.
  • Adams was the first son of a president elected president in his own right.
  • Adams was the first president to have his father live to see him become president.
  • Adams was the first president with facial hair (he had long sideburns).
  • Adams is the only president to be elected to the House after his presidency.
  • One of his sons, George Washington Adams, died at the age of 28, an apparent suicide.
Quotes:

“If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.”

“May our country be always successful, but whether successful or otherwise, always right.”

“Always vote for principle, though you may vote alone, and you may cherish the sweetest reflection that your vote is never lost.”

“It is of no use to discover our own faults and infirmities unless the discovery prompts up to amendment.”

Previous President: James Monroe
Next President: Andrew Jackson