Adams. Pastel by Benjamin Blyth, c. 1766
was born in the North Precinct of Braintree (now Quincy),
Massachusetts, on October 30, 1735, the eldest son of John
and Susanna (Boylston) Adams. After graduating from Harvard
College in 1755, he studied and practiced law, and married
Abigail Smith of Weymouth on October 25, 1764. Although already
active in the Patriot cause, in 1770 Adams and Josiah Quincy,
Jr., defended the British soldiers charged in the Boston Massacre
Trials, successfully winning acquittals or reduced sentences
for all the defendants.
to 1777 Adams served in the Continental Congress. He passionately
urged independence for the colonies, and in 1776 he was appointed
to the committee that would draft a declaration of independence.
His copy of Thomas Jefferson's draft
of the Declaration of Independence is the
earliest known draft in existence.
a prolific diplomatic career, which kept him in Europe for
many years, Adams became the first vice president of the United
States (17851797) and then the second president (17971801).
His presidency, fraught with difficulties, lasted only one
term, after which Thomas Jefferson succeeded him in the office.
John Adams retired from public life to his farm in Quincy.
He died on the 50th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence,
July 4, 1826.
information about the Adamses and an extended biography of
John Adams, please visit The
Adams Papers on the MHS website.