John Adams: President of the United States from 1797 to 1801

He served as the 2nd president of the United States from 1797 to 1801. Before becoming president, he was the 1st vice president under George Washington from 1789 to 1797. He was also the one of the Founding Fathers of the United States.

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
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
Appointed by	Congress of the Confederation
Succeeded by	Charles W. F. Dumas (acting)
United States Envoy to France
In office November 28, 1777 – 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)
Spouse(s)	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
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Adams was a leader of the American Revolution that gained independence from Great Britain. During the Revolutionary War, he served the U.S. government as a senior diplomat in Europe.

Adams was born in Braintree, Massachusetts. He was the son of Lt. Col. John Adams, Sr. (1691-1761) and Susanna Boylston (1708-1797), and he was the cousin of the philosopher and fellow Founding Father Samuel Adams. He went to Harvard College. He married Abigail Adams in 1764.

Adams wanted the Thirteen Colonies to be free from Great Britain. However, Adams was fair and thought every person should be treated fairly. Even though he did not want British soldiers in Boston, he was the lawyer who defended the British soldiers who were involved in the Boston Massacre.

Adams was a representative from Massachusetts during the Second Continental Congress. He helped Thomas Jefferson write the United States Declaration of Independence. During the American Revolutionary War, Adams helped make peace with Great Britain. He served in France, the Netherlands and England as an ambassador in the 1780s.

 

Adams was the first vice president under George Washington. After Washington chose not to run again, Adams won the 1796 election. Adams is thought to have been the first president to belong to a political party, but like George Washington, he thought himself above any particular party. He ran for president on the Federalist ticket. He beat Thomas Jefferson of the Democratic-Republican Party. President candidates and vice president candidates did not run together like they do today. Since Jefferson got the second-highest number of votes, he became vice president.

During his term, he resolved a conflict against France peacefully. He also passed the Alien and Sedition Acts which made it illegal to say bad things about the government. Many people did not like those acts because they felt it took away their freedom of speech. Adams was not re-elected president and lost to Thomas Jefferson. The Federalist Party was not as popular as it was when Adams was elected. One of his last acts as president was to make John Marshall the Chief Justice of the United States. This made sure that the Federalist Party would still be important.

Of the first five U.S. presidents, Adams was the only one who did not own slaves. He was also the only one to be from New England.

Adams died on July 4, 1826 of Heart Failure. This was the same day that Thomas Jefferson died, and was also exactly 50 years after the Declaration of Independence was signed in 1776. At 90, John Adams was the longest lived president of the United States until Ronald Reagan surpassed him in October 2001. John Adams was also a longest lived Vice President of the United States until Levi P. Morton surpassed him in 1915 and later by John Nance Garner in 1959.