Presidents of the United States (POTUS)

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John Quincy Adams

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

Nickname: "Old Man Eloquent"

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

Father: John Adams
Mother: Abigail Smith Adams
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:**
Year		Popular Votes	Electoral Votes
1820	James Monroe		231
	John Q. Adams		1
	(Votes Not Cast)		3
1824	John Q. Adams	108,740	84
	Andrew Jackson	153,544	99
	Henry Clay	47,136	37
	William H. Crawford	46,618	41
1828	Andrew Jackson	647,286	178
	John Q. Adams	508,064	83

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 Appointments:

Associate Justice: Robert Trimble (1826-28)

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
- Baltimore & Ohio railroad, the first designed for passengers and freight.
- Andrew Jackson defeated Adams.

Internet Biographies:

John Quincy Adams — from The Presidents of the United States of America: Compiled by the White House.
John Quincy Adams — from American Presidents: Life Portraits — C-SPAN: Biographical information, trivia, key events, video, and other reference materials. Website created to accompany C-SPAN’s 20th Anniversary Television Series, American Presidents: Life Portraits.
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.
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.

Historical Documents:

Inaugural Address (1825)
The Jubilee of the Constitution (1839)
Argument in the Amistad trial (1841)

Other Internet Resources:

Adams National Historical Site: The birthplace of John Quincy Adams and other notable Americans. From the National Park Service.
AMISTAD Revolt – An Historical Legacy of Sierra Leone and the United States: Description of important events and people in the capture and trial of African slaves from the ship Amistad. Ex-President Adams went before the Supreme Court as leader of the defense on behalf of the African captives. Website also offers media and some historical texts.

Points of Interest:

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.
He was the first president married abroad.
Adams was the first president to be photographed.
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.

Previous President: James Monroe | Next President: Andrew Jackson

Presidents of the United States (POTUS)

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