Library of Congress
- NAME – John Quincy Adams
- NICKNAME(S) – Old Man Eloquent
- BIRTH / DEATH – July 11, 1767 Braintree, Mass. / 1848 – Washington, D.C.
- FATHER – President
- MOTHER – housewife
- COLLEGE – Leyden University (Holland) / Harvard
- WIFE – Louisa
- KIDS – three boys, one girl (died in infancy)
- PETS – an alligator (gift from Lafayette)
- RELIGION – Unitarian
- ANCESTRY – English
- AGE – 57
FIRSTS:
– first President to win without a majority of the popular vote (the first of 17)
– first President whose son was married in the White House
MA AND PA: At age eleven, his father took him to Paris when he was Minister to France.
BACKGROUND:
– Minister to Holland 1794-97
– Minister to Prussia 1797-1801
– Senator 1803-08
– Minister to Russia 1809-15
– Minister to Great Britain 1815-17
– Secretary of State for Monroe 1817-25
– President 1825-29
FIRST LADY: Louise’s mother was British. She is the only First Lady born outside the U.S. She was a popular debutante when John met her in London. Abigail disapproved of her. She thought she was a spendthrift. She had four miscarriages before having her first child. She would spin silk from silkworms in the mulberry tree on the White House lawn.
RETIREMENT: After his Presidency, he served in the House of Representatives from 1831-1848. He suffered a stroke on the floor of the House. His last word: “Thank the officers of the House. This is the last of the Earth, I am content.”
TRIVIA:
– he served as the secretary to the envoy to Russia when he was a teenager
– favorite food – fresh food
– by age 18, he could speak French, Latin, Greek, and Dutch
– he was gifted two tiger cubs by the Sultan of Muscat and Oman and for a while they stayed at the White House, until Congress complained that he was violating the emoluments clause, so he donated them to a zoo
ANECDOTES:
THE SKINNYDIPPING INTERVIEW
Anne Royall is sometimes called America’s first female reporter. For a long time, she wanted to interview the President, but he refused. She did some snooping and discovered he liked to go skinny-dipping in the Potomac early in the morning. One morning, she shadowed him on his walk to the river. When he was coming out of the water, he found Anne sitting on his clothes. He promised her an interview if she would go away, but she refused and threatened to call out to draw intrigued bystanders. Adams reluctantly answered her questions with the water up to his waist.
– maroon 36
THE LANDLORD
In 1846, Adams suffered a stroke which started a decline in his health. When a fellow Congressman asked about his health, Adams responded: “I inhabit a weak, frail, decayed tenement; battered by the winds and broken in upon by the storms, and from all I can learn, the landlord does not intend to repair.”
– maroon 36