Served: March 4, 1825 – March 4, 1829

Born: July 11, 1767

Birthplace: Braintree, Massachusetts Bay

Died: February 23, 1848

Occupation: Attorney

Political Party: Federalist (pre-1808), Democratic-Republican (1808-1830), National Republican (1830-1834), Anti-Masonic (1834-1838), Whig (1838-1848)

Spouse: Louisa Johnson

John Quincy Adams: Like Father, Like Son

If you were a child, you may have thought you would someday like to follow in your father’s footsteps. John Quincy Adams was not only the sixth president of the United States, but he also had to live up to his father’s legacy as the second U.S. president.

Adams became known in his own right when he stepped into the White House, but long before he became president, he was gaining attention for his role as an American diplomat.

Adams helped secure various international treaties, and as secretary of state he negotiated the continued growth of the American nation by securing the purchase of Florida and expanding the northern border shared with Canada.

A Son Accompanies His Father

Adams began traveling overseas at a young age while accompanying the senior Adams in Europe as an American envoy. These trips included visits to France, the Netherlands, Russia, Finland, Sweden, and Denmark.

On his return to the United States, he enrolled in Harvard College, and in 1787 he graduated with a B.A. Like many of his contemporaries, Adams chose to go into law and was admitted to the bar in 1791. He began a thriving practice in Boston shortly thereafter.

Adams met his future wife, Louisa Catherine Johnson, during his European travels, and to this day she is the only first lady to be born abroad. Together, they had four children: three boys and one girl who died shortly after her first birthday.

John Quincy Adams’s Pets

Unproven: Alligator given to him by the Marquis de Lafayette.

Alligator given to him by the Marquis de Lafayette. Silkworms belonging to Mrs. Louisa Adams

MORE PETS! Check out our photo gallery of selected White House pets

Persuaded into Politics

Adams began his political career under George Washington’s administration. His first appointment was as minister to the Netherlands, which his father had talked him into accepting. Washington thought highly of the younger Adams and appointed him as minister to Portugal. When his father became president, young Adams was appointed as minster to Prussia, again with Washington’s approval.

In addition to his foreign ministry posts, Adams served as a senator and a congressional representative before being elected as president in 1824.

During his presidency, Adams championed the cause of education and worked hard at paying off most of the national debt. Like his father, he served only a single term, and in fact, he was the second president to do so, his father being the first.

While he may not have initially been eager to live a life of service, after his presidency Adams went on to serve as a Massachusetts representative, the only president to date to be elected into the House after presidency.

Did You Know…?