2nd PRESIDENT. Facts About the Presidents. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division

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1 Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division 2nd PRESIDENT 1

2 John Adams Date of birth Oct. 30, 1735 Place of birth Braintree (now Quincy), Mass. Education Schooled by local teachers; bachelor s degree, Harvard College, Cambridge, Mass., B.A., July 16, 1755; private study in law office, Worcester, Mass. Religion Unitarian Ancestry English Career Lawyer, colonial legislator, delegate to Continental Congress, delegate to state constitutional convention, minister to France, the Netherlands, and Great Britain Political party Federalist State represented Massachusetts Term of office Mar. 4, 1797 Mar. 4, 1801 Term served 4 years Administration 3rd Congresses 5th, 6th Age at inauguration 61 years, 125 days Lived after term 25 years, 122 days Occupation after term Writer, delegate to state constitutional convention Date of death July 4, 1826 Age at death 90 years, 247 days Place of death Quincy, Mass. Burial place First Unitarian Church, Quincy, Mass. Family Father Name John Adams Date of birth Feb. 8, 1691 Marriage Oct. 31, 1734 Occupation Farmer, shoemaker, harnessmaker; church deacon, tithingman; tax collector, city councilman Date of death May 25, 1761 Age at death 70 years, 106 days Mother Name at birth Susanna Boylston Date of birth Mar. 5, 1699 First marriage John Adams, Oct. 31, 1734 (d. May 25, 1761) Second marriage John Hall, 1766 Date of death Apr. 17, 1797 Age at death 98 years, 43 days Siblings John Adams was the oldest in a family of three boys. Children of John Adams and Susanna Boylston Adams John Adams, b. Oct. 30, 1735, d. July 4, 1826 Peter Boylston Adams, b. Oct. 16, 1738, d. June 2, 1823 Elihu Adams, b. May 29, 1741, d. Mar. 18, 1776 Marriage Married Abigail Smith Date of marriage Oct. 25, 1764 Place of marriage Weymouth, Mass. Age of wife at marriage 19 years, 348 days Age of husband at marriage 28 years, 360 days Years married 54 years, 3 days Children Abigail Amelia Adams, b. July 14, 1765, Braintree, Mass.; m. June 12, 1786, William Stephens Smith; d. Aug. 15,

3 John Quincy Adams, b. July 11, 1767, Braintree, Mass.; m. July 26, 1797, Louisa Catherine Johnson; d. Feb. 23, 1848, Washington, D.C. Susanna Adams, b. Dec. 28, 1768, Boston, Mass.; d. Feb. 4, 1770 Charles Adams, b. May 29, 1770, Boston, Mass.; m. Aug. 29, 1795, Sarah Smith; d. Nov. 30, 1800 Thomas Boylston Adams, b. Sept. 15, 1772, Quincy, Mass.; m. May 16, 1805, Ann Harod; d. Mar. 13, 1832 The President s Wife Name at birth Abigail Smith Date of birth Nov. 11, 1744 Place of birth Weymouth, Mass. Mother Elizabeth Quincy Smith Father William Smith Father s occupation Congregational minister Marriage John Adams, Oct. 25, 1764, Weymouth, Mass. Children Abigail Amelia Adams, b. July 14, 1765, d. Aug. 15, 1813; John Quincy Adams, b. July 11, 1767, d. Feb. 23, 1848; Susanna Adams, b. Dec. 28, 1768, d. Feb. 4, 1770; Charles Adams, b. May 29, 1770, d. Nov. 30, 1800; Thomas Boylston Adams, b. Sept. 15, 1772, d. Mar. 13, 1832 Date of death Oct. 28, 1818 Age at death 73 years, 351 days Place of death Quincy, Mass. Burial place Quincy, Mass. Years younger than the President 9 years, 12 days Years the President survived her 7 years, 249 days The First Lady Abigail Adams, the first President s wife to live in the Executive Mansion, did not move to Washington, D.C., until November 1800, when the President s House was ready for occupancy. A New Year s reception was held there in 1801, the first reception at the White House. As Adams s term of office expired on March 3, 1801, Mrs. Adams resided at the Executive Mansion less than four months. She maintained the same strict etiquette as Martha Washington. She preferred the climate of New England to that of the capital, however, and she maintained her interests in Quincy, Mass., anticipating the time when her husband s term would be completed. Abigail Adams was a lively, acutely observant correspondent, and her letters are treasured by historians. Important Dates in the President s Life 1755, taught school at Worcester, Mass. 1758, admitted to the bar, practiced at Boston, Mass. 1768, member of Massachusetts legislature Sept. 5, 1774, delegate to First Continental Congress Nov. 28, 1774, member of revolutionary Provincial Congress of Massachusetts May 10, 1775, delegate to Second Continental Congress June 1775, proposed George Washington as leader of the American Army 1776, one of committee of five to draft the Declaration of Independence Aug. 2, 1776, signed Declaration of Independence; head of War Department Apr. 8, 1778, reached Paris as Commissioner to France, superseding Silas Deane Sept. 1, 1779, member of Massachusetts Constitutional Convention Dec. 29, 1780, minister to the Netherlands; negotiated loan and Treaty of Amity and Commerce May 14, 1785, minister to England (served until 1788) 3

4 Apr. 21, 1789, inaugurated Vice President at New York City Apr. 21, 1789 Mar. 4, 1797, Vice President under George Washington Mar. 4, 1797 Mar. 4, 1801, President Mar. 4, 1801, retired to Quincy, Mass. Nov. 15, 1820, member of Second Constitutional Convention of Massachusetts Elections The Election Of 1796 After he had served his second four-year term, George Washington declined a third term for the presidency. This left the field wide open for numerous candidates. The elections of 1789 and 1792 were contests between individuals rather than contests between political groups and factions. In 1796, the growth of political parties began. The strong central-government contingent in Congress, to whom the designation Federalists was applied, had been in power eight years during Washington s two administrations. They met in a congressional caucus to discuss policy, plans, and procedure. They pledged their support in the 1796 election to John Adams of Massachusetts and Thomas Pinckney of South Carolina, whose views coincided with theirs. Since the majority favored this selection, no balloting was undertaken. At about the same time, the anti-federalist group of congressmen convened and mutually agreed to support Jefferson and Burr. They were known as the Republicans, or Democratic-Republicans, and opposed the establishment of a central government more powerful than the states. The Constitution did not provide for these congressional caucuses. The system, which flourished until 1824, was not typical or representative of the views of the country since it perpetuated the rule of those in power. Less important members of the factions had nothing to say about the selection of candidates and the people had no choice whatsoever. Since the electors voted for the President and Vice President, they were the powerful influence in determining the presidential elections. As each state was sovereign unto itself, there was no uniform method of selecting the electors. Each state enacted its own law. Some electors were chosen by popular vote, some by designation of state legislatures, and some by other methods. The electors, once chosen, were not legally bound to cast their ballots for a designated candidate, but only one dared break faith with the powers that placed them in nomination. At first, the votes of individuals were counted so that states could have had divided votes. Later, states voted as a unit, the political candidate with the greatest number of votes receiving the entire state electoral vote. The electoral vote of 1796 consisted of 276 votes from sixteen states. The votes were divided among a total of thirteen names. George Washington received two votes even though he was not a candidate. Two of the candidates were brothers Thomas Pinckney and Charles Cotesworth Pinckney, both of South Carolina. John Adams received 71 votes, a plurality, and was elected President of the United States. The candidate receiving the next highest number of votes was Thomas Jefferson of Virginia, who had 68 votes and was elected Vice President. The framers of the Constitution had not foreseen the development of political parties they imagined the electors choosing from among individual candidates solely on the basis of merit and they did not anticipate a situation in which the President represented one political party and his Vice President stood for a rival party. Adams was a Federalist, Jefferson a Democratic-Republican, and their political philosophies were utterly at odds. This inadequacy in the law was later corrected. The votes were cast as follows: 4

5 John Adams, Mass., 71 Thomas Jefferson, Va., 68 Thomas Pinckney, S.C., 59 Aaron Burr, N.Y., 30 Samuel Adams, Mass., 15 Oliver Ellsworth, Conn., 11 George Clinton, N.Y., 7 John Jay, N.Y., 5 James Iredell, N.C., 3 John Henry, Md., 2 Samuel Johnston, N.C., 2 George Washington, Va., 2 Charles Cotesworth Pinckney, S.C., 1 Total number of votes: 276 Inauguration March 4, 1797 John Adams, the first Vice President to be elevated to the presidency, was the only president besides George Washington to be inaugurated at Philadelphia. He was the first President to whom the oath of office was administered by a Chief Justice. On Saturday, March 4, 1797, in the Chamber of the House of Representatives in Federal Hall, the oath was administered to John Adams by Oliver Ellsworth, Chief Justice of the United States. Adams was driven to the inauguration in a gilded coach drawn by six white horses. The Vice President Name Thomas Jefferson (2nd V.P.) Political party Democratic-Republican State represented Virginia Term of office Mar. 4, 1797 Mar. 4, 1801 Age at inauguration 53 years, 325 days Occupation after term President of the United States For further biographical information, see the chapter on Thomas Jefferson, 3rd President, on page 2. Cabinet March 4, 1797 March 3, 1801 State Timothy Pickering, Pa., continued from preceding administration (requested to resign May 10, 1800, but declined to resign and was dismissed May 12, 1800); Charles Lee, Va. (Attorney General), ad interim May 13, 1800; John Marshall, Va., May 13, 1800; entered upon duties June 6, 1800; John Marshall, Va. (Chief Justice of the United States), ad interim Feb. 4, 1801, to Mar. 3, 1801 Treasury Oliver Wolcott, Jr., Conn., continued from preceding administration; Samuel Dexter, Mass., Jan. 1, 1801 War James McHenry, Md., continued from preceding administration; Benjamin Stoddert, Md. (Secretary of the Navy), ad interim June 1, 1800, to June 12, 1800; Samuel Dexter, Mass., May 13, 1800; entered upon duties June 12, 1800; Samuel Dexter, Mass. (Secretary of the Treasury), ad interim Jan. 1, 1801 Attorney General Charles Lee, Va., continued from preceding administration Postmaster General Joseph Habersham, Ga., continued from preceding administration Navy Benjamin Stoddert, Md., May 21, 1798; entered upon duties June 18,

6 Congress Fifth Congress March 4, 1797 March 3, 1799 First session May 15, 1797 July 10, 1797 (57 days) Second session Nov. 13, 1797 July 16, 1798 (246 days) Third session Dec. 3, 1798 Mar. 3, 1799 (91 days) Special session of the Senate Mar. 4, 1797 (one day only); July 17, 1798 July 19, 1798 (3 days) Vice President Thomas Jefferson, Va. President pro tempore of the Senate William Bradford, R.I., elected July 6, 1797; Jacob Read, S.C., elected Nov. 22, 1797; Theodore Sedgwich, Mass., elected June 27, 1798; John Laurance, N.Y., elected Dec. 6, 1798; James Ross, Pa., elected Mar. 1, 1799 Secretary of the Senate Samuel Allyne Otis, Mass. Speaker of the House Jonathan Dayton, N.J., reelected May 15, 1797; George Dent, Md., elected speaker pro tempore for Apr. 20, 1798, and again for May 28, 1798 Clerk of the House John Beckley, Va., Jonathan Williams Condy, Pa., elected May 15, 1797 Sixth Congress March 4, 1799 March 3, 1801 First session Dec. 2, 1799 May 14, 1800 (164 days) Second session Nov. 17, 1800 Mar. 3, 1801 (107 days) Vice President Thomas Jefferson, Va. President pro tempore of the Senate Samuel Livermore, N.H., elected Dec. 2, 1799; Uriah Tracy, Conn., elected May 14, 1800; John Eager Howard, Md., elected Nov. 21, 1800; James Hillhouse, Conn., elected Feb. 28, 1801 Secretary of the Senate Samuel Allyne Otis, Mass. Speaker of the House Theodore Sedgwick, Mass., elected Dec. 2, 1799 Clerk of the House Jonathan Williams Condy, Pa., reelected Dec. 2, 1799, resigned Dec. 4, 1799; John Holt Oswald, Pa., elected Dec. 9, 1799 Appointments to the Supreme Court Chief Justice John Marshall, Va., Jan. 31, 1801 (replaced Oliver Ellsworth) Associate Justices Bushrod Washington, Va., Sept. 29, 1798 (replaced James Wilson) Alfred Moore, N.C., Dec. 10, 1799 (replaced James Iredell) Important Dates in the Presidency May 10, 1797, first naval vessel, United States, launched, Philadelphia, Pa. June 14, 1797, exportation of arms prohibited Sept. 20, 1797, Frigate Constitution ( Old Ironsides ) launched Jan. 8, 1798, Adams informed Congress that Eleventh Amendment had been adopted Apr. 7, 1798, Mississippi Territory created Apr. 25, 1798, Hail Columbia first sung in theater Apr. 30, 1798, Navy Department created June 25, 1798, Alien Act passed July 1798, yellow fever epidemic in Philadelphia; many officials moved to Trenton, N.J. July 9, 1798 Sept. 30, 1800, conflict with France 6

7 July 11, 1798, U.S. Marine Corps created July 13, 1798, Lieutenant General George Washington accepted office as commander in chief July 14, 1798, Sedition Act passed July 16, 1798, U.S. Public Health Service established Oct. 2, 1798, treaty with Cherokee Indians Nov. 16, 1798, governor of Kentucky signed law declaring the Alien and Sedition Acts unconstitutional Dec. 21, 1798, Virginia resolution similarly declared the Alien and Sedition Act unconstitutional Jan. 14, 1799, Senate impeachment trial of Senator William Blount of Tennessee concluded; charges dismissed for want of jurisdiction (first impeachment proceedings against a U.S. senator) Feb. 25, 1799, first federal forestry legislation to acquire timber lands for the U.S. Navy Dec. 14, 1799, death of George Washington Apr. 4, 1800, federal bankruptcy act passed Apr. 24, 1800, Library of Congress established June 15, 1800, capital moved to District of Columbia Sept. 3, 1800, treaty with Napoleon Bonaparte Oct. 1, 1800, Spain ceded Louisiana back to France by secret treaty of San Ildefonso Nov. 17, 1800, first session of Congress at Washington, D.C. Jan. 31, 1801, John Marshall began thirtyfour-year period as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court Additional Data on Adams John Adams was the first President born in Massachusetts. was the first President whose son was inaugurated President. was the second President whose mother was alive when he was inaugurated. was the first President to reside at Washington, D.C. When he moved into the President s House on November 1, 1800, it was not completed and not a single apartment was finished. was the first President to have children of his own. He had three sons and two daughters. was the first President to have a Chief Justice of the Supreme Court administer the oath to him. He was sworn in on March 4, 1797, by Chief Justice Oliver Ellsworth. was the only President who was inaugurated at Philadelphia both as President and Vice President. On March 4, 1793, he was inaugurated as Vice President with George Washington as President, and on March 4, 1797, he was inaugurated President with Thomas Jefferson as his Vice President. was the first President to reach the age of 90. Adams Married by Father-In-Law The marriage of John Adams to Abigail Smith on October 25, 1764, at Weymouth, Mass., was performed by the father of the bride, the Reverend William Smith, a Congregational minister. Adams Sworn in as Washington s Vice President John Adams entered upon his duties as Vice President of the United States on Tuesday, April 21, 1789, nine days before George Washington was inaugurated. John Langdon of New Hampshire, who was president pro tempore of the Senate, introduced him to the senators as follows, Sir: I have it in charge from the Senate to introduce you to the chair of this House; and, also to congratulate you on your appointment 7

8 to the office of Vice President of the United States of America. He then conducted the Vice President to the chair, and John Adams addressed the Senate. On Wednesday, June 3, 1789, the oath of office was administered to John Adams, who, in turn, administered the oath to the Senate members. The oath, [name] do solemnly swear or affirm (as the case may be) that I will support the Constitution of the United States, was required by an act to regulate the time and manner of administering certain oaths, June 1, 1789 (1 Sat. L. 23), Chapter One, Statute One. The oath as administered at present is, I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion, and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter. So help me God. Adams made an inaugural address after being sworn in as Vice President. He spoke about the successful formation of the federal union, the adoption of the federal Constitution, and the auspicious circumstances under which the new government came into operation under the presidency of him who had led the American armies to victory and conducted by those who had contributed to achieve Independence. Eleventh Amendment Enacted The eleventh amendment to the Constitution, providing that federal judicial authority shall not extend to suits against a state by citizens of another state or subjects of any foreign state, was passed by Congress on March 4, 1794, and proposed to the legislatures of the several states by the Third Congress on March 5, The twelfth state to ratify, making the amendment effective, was Delaware. Although Delaware ratified it on January 23, 1795, it was not until January 8, 1798, that the Secretary of State certified that the amendment had been made a part of the Constitution. This was because the states were dilatory in notifying the central government. Secretary of the Navy Appointed by Adams The Secretary of War was in charge of both the army and the navy, until May 21, 1798, when President John Adams appointed Benjamin Stoddert as the first Secretary of the Navy. Appointment of a General Authorized An act of May 28, 1798 (1 Stat. L. 558), an act authorizing the President of the United States to raise a provisional army, empowered the President to appoint, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, a commander of the army which may be raised by virtue of this act, and who being commissioned as lieutenant-general may be authorized to command the armies of the United States, and shall be entitled to the following pay and emoluments, viz.: twohundred-and-fifty dollars monthly pay, fifty dollars monthly allowance for forage, when the same shall not be provided by the United States, and forty rations per day, or money in lieu thereof at the current price; who shall have authority to appoint, from time to time, such number of aides not exceeding four, and secretaries not exceeding two, as he may judge proper, each to have the rank, pay and emoluments of a lieutenant-colonel. Congress in Session at Washington The first Congress to meet at Washington, D.C., was the Sixth Congress; the second session opened on November 17, 1800, and lasted until March 3, 1801 (107 days). The House of Representatives did not have a quorum until November 18, and the Senate did not have a quorum until November 21. On November 22, 1800, President John Adams read his fourth annual address to Congress. 8

9 Adams Appointed Midnight Judges On February 13, 1801, Congress passed an act to provide for the more convenient organization of the Courts of the United States (2 Stat. L. 89). It provided for the appointment of eighteen new judges. President John Adams sat at his desk until midnight, March 3, 1801, signing the appointments of Federalists to public office. The law was repealed during Jefferson s term and the judges lost their offices. The act of April 29, 1802, an act to amend the Judicial System of the United States, voided the appointments. Adams Defeated for Reelection John Adams was the first President of the United States who was defeated for reelection. After completing his term, , John Adams hoped to be reelected, but the electors decided otherwise. Thomas Jefferson received 73 electoral votes and so did Aaron Burr; the decision was referred to the House of Representatives, which made Jefferson President and Burr Vice President. John Adams received 65 electoral votes, Charles Cotesworth Pinckney 64 votes, and John Jay 1 vote. Adams Recalled Son On January 31, 1801, John Adams recalled his son, John Quincy Adams, from his post as Minister to Prussia to prevent President-elect Thomas Jefferson from dismissing him. On April 26, 1801, the recall reached John Quincy Adams, who returned to Philadelphia, Pa., on September 4, Adams letter to Secretary of State John Marshall stated: I request you would cause to be prepared letters for me to sign, to the King of Prussia recalling Mr. John Quincy Adams as minister plenipotentiary from his court.... I wish you to make out one letter to go by the way of Hamburg, another by Holland, a third by France, a fourth through Mr. King in England, a fifth, if you please, by way of Bremen or Stettin, or any channel most likely to convey it soon. It is my opinion this minister ought to be recalled from Prussia.... Besides, it is my opinion that it is my duty to call him home. Absence at Inauguration of Successor John Adams set a precedent by not attending the inauguration of his successor. When Thomas Jefferson was inaugurated on March 4, 1801, Adams absented himself, possibly because he did not wish to witness the success of his political rival, or possibly because he was not invited. His son, John Quincy Adams, likewise refused to attend the inauguration services for Andrew Jackson. Andrew Johnson and Richard Nixon also followed this example. Father and Son Presidents John Adams and John Quincy Adams were the first father and son to be inaugurated Presidents of the United States. They each served one term. John Adams lived to see his son sworn in as President. Adams s Last Words The last words attributed to John Adams were made by him without a full knowledge of the facts. Adams s last words were reported to have been Thomas Jefferson still survives. He had not learned, nor had he any means of knowing, that Thomas Jefferson had died the same morning at 9:50 A.M. on July 4, 1826, the fiftieth anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. Adams Supplied Vital Information In a letter dated March 11, 1809, from Quincy, Mass., in response to a request for biographical material, John Adams wrote to Skelton Jones: I was born in Quincy on the 19th of October The Fourth of March The causes of my retirement are to be found in the writings of Freneau, Markoe, Ned Church, Andrew 9

10 Brown, Paine, Callender, Hamilton, Cobbett and John Ward Fenno and many others, but more especially in the circular letters of Members of Congress from the southern and middle States. Without a complete collection of all these libels, no faithful history of the last twenty years can ever be written, nor any adequate account given of the causes of my retirement from public life. I have one head, four limbs and five senses, like any other man, and nothing peculiar in any of them. I have been married forty-four years. To Miss Abigail Smith on the 25th of October 1764 in her father s house at Weymouth, the next town to his, and by her father who was a clergyman. I have no miniature, and have been too much abused by painters ever to sit for any one again. Extract from First Letter from the White House by a President (John Adams to Abigail Adams) President s House, Washington City 2 November, 1800 My Dearest Friend, We arrived here last night, or rather yesterday, at one o clock, and here we dined and slept.... Before I end my letter, I pray heaven to bestow the best of blessings on this house, and on all that shall hereafter inhabit it. May none but honest and wise men ever Further Reading rule under this roof! I shall not attempt a description of it. You will form the best idea of it from inspection.... I am, with unabated confidence and affection, yours, Mrs. Adams s Impression of the White House (a Letter to Her Daughter) JOHN ADAMS Washington 21 November, 1800 My Dear Child: I arrived here on Sunday last, and without meeting with any accident worth noticing, except losing ourselves when we left Baltimore, and going eight or nine miles on the Frederick road, by which means we were obliged to go the other eight through woods, where we wandered two hours without finding a guide, or the path.... The house is made habitable, but there is not a single apartment finished.... withinside, except the plastering has been done since Briesler came. We have not the least fence, yard, or other convenience, without, and the great unfinished audience room I make a dryingroom of, to hang up the clothes in. The principal stairs are not up, and will not be this winter.... Affectionately your mother, A. ADAMS Adams, Charles F. John Adams. 2 vols. Rev. ed Brown, Ralph A. The Presidency of John Adams Ellis, Joseph J. The Character and Legacy of John Adams Ferling, John E. John Adams: A Life Handler, Edward. America and Europe in the Political Thought of John Adams McCullough, David G. John Adams Morse, John T. John Adams Taylor, Robert J. ed. Papers of John Adams. 4 vols

11 Index Adams, John 2 10 Adams, John Quincy 3, 9 Congress first session at Washington, D.C. 8 Constitutional amendments 11th Amendment 8 Jefferson, Thomas 4, 5, 6, 7, 9 Washington, D.C. first congressional session in 8 Washington, George 3, 4, 5, 7 White House description by Abigail Adams 10 Jackson, Andrew 9 11