john quincy adams worked where when he was a lawyer

by Darien Prohaska DVM 9 min read

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What did John Quincy Adams do?

John Quincy Adams was the sixth president of the United States (1825–29). In his prepresidential years he was one of America’s greatest diplomats—formulating, among other things, what came to be called the Monroe Doctrine —and in his postpresidential years (as a U.S. congressman, 1831–48) he fought against the expansion of slavery .

Where did John Quincy Adams go to Law School?

The next year, after his family was reunited in France and his father was appointed U.S. Minister to Great Britain, John Quincy Adams returned to America to attend Harvard University. Adams sought to become an attorney like his father, and upon graduation, in 1787, read law at Newburyport, Massachusetts under the tutelage of Theophilus Parsons.

What did John Adams do to become a lawyer?

In 1790, Adams opened his own legal practice in Boston. Despite some early struggles, he was successful as an attorney and established financial independence from his parents. Adams initially avoided becoming involved in politics, instead focusing on building his legal career.

Who was John Quincy Adams married to?

John Quincy Adams was married in London in 1797, on the eve of his departure for Berlin, to Louisa Catherine Johnson (Louisa Adams), daughter of the United States consul Joshua Johnson, a Marylander by birth, and his wife, Katherine Nuth, an Englishwoman.

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Where was John Adams a lawyer at?

A strong student, Adams graduated from Harvard College in 1755. He then taught school for several years and studied law with an attorney in Worcester, Massachusetts. Adams began his law career in 1758 and eventually became one of Boston's most prominent attorneys.

When was John Quincy Adams a lawyer?

The son of Abigail and John Adams, John Quincy was born in 1767, became a lawyer in 1787, and soon entered the political arena as a diplomat. He became a U.S. senator in 1803, elected as a Federalist to represent the state of Massachusetts.

Where did John Adams open up his first law practice?

BostonLegal and Publishing Career. Adams launched his legal career in Boston in 1758. He faced several years of struggle in establishing his practice. He had only one client his first year and did not win his initial case before a jury until almost three years after opening his office.

What did Quincy Adams do?

Serving under President Monroe, Adams was one of America's great Secretaries of State, arranging with England for the joint occupation of the Oregon country, obtaining from Spain the cession of the Floridas, and formulating with the President the Monroe Doctrine.

What was John Quincy Adams biggest accomplishment?

John Quincy Adams was a proponent of large scale federal involvement in economic development. He called for federal expenditures on canals and roadways to link the United States. He also proposed government support for scientific research.

What did John Quincy Adams do in Russia?

Adams first visited Russia in 1781 as French-language interpreter for U.S. envoy Francis Dana. He served in St. Petersburg during Napoleon's invasion of Russia, strolled along the banks of the Neva with Czar Alexander I, and visited the Observatory in Pulkovo Heights.

What was John Adams job?

LawyerFarmerStatespersonDiplomatJohn Adams/Professions

What was John Adams job before president?

From 1785 to 1788 he was minister to the Court of St. James's, returning to be elected Vice President under George Washington. Adams' two terms as Vice President were frustrating experiences for a man of his vigor, intellect, and vanity.

What did John Adams do in his early years?

He grew up on a farm in Braintree, Massachusetts where he learned how to plant and harvest crops at an early age. Even after John had enjoyed success as a lawyer and politician, he would still remind his sons John Quincy and Charles that farming is a tough, yet noble profession.

What did John Quincy Adams do as secretary of state?

As Secretary of State, Adams' views about territorial expansion guided President Monroe's policies. Adams' brilliant diplomacy with Spain, which led to the Adams-OnĂ­s Treaty of 1819, was largely responsible for the Acquisition of Florida and the U.S. assumption of Spain's claim to the Oregon Country.

What are 5 facts about John Adams?

Fast FactsNAME: John Adams.NICKNAME: Father of American Independence, Father of the American Navy.BORN: October 30, 1735, in Quincy, Massachusetts.DIED: July 4, 1826, in Quincy, Massachusetts.TIME IN OFFICE: March 4, 1797, to March 3, 1801.VICE PRESIDENT: Thomas Jefferson.POLITICAL PARTY: Federalist.

Why is John Quincy Adams important?

John Quincy Adams was the sixth president of the United States (1825–29). In his prepresidential years he was one of America’s greatest diplomats—f...

What was John Quincy Adams’s childhood like?

John Quincy Adams was the eldest son of John and Abigail Adams. Growing up during the American Revolution, he watched the Battle of Bunker Hill fro...

How did John Quincy Adams become president?

In the U.S. presidential election of 1824, Andrew Jackson received 99 electoral votes, Adams 84, William Crawford 41, and Henry Clay 37. Because no...

What was John Quincy Adams’s occupation?

John Quincy Adams was a diplomat in the administrations of George Washington, John Adams, and James Madison. He served in the Massachusetts Senate...

What were John Quincy Adams’s achievements?

John Quincy Adams signed the Treaty of Ghent and played a leading part in the U.S. acquisition of Florida and establishing the northern boundary of...

Where was John Quincy Adams born?

Born on July 11, 1767, in Braintree (now Quincy), Massachusetts, John Quincy Adams was the second child and first son of John and Abigail Adams. As a young boy, John Quincy watched the famous Battle of Bunker Hill (June 1775) from a hilltop near the family farm with his mother. He accompanied his father on a diplomatic mission to France when he was 10, and would later study at European universities, eventually becoming fluent in seven languages. Adams returned to Massachusetts in 1785 and entered Harvard College, graduating two years later. He then studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1790, after which he set up a law practice in Boston.

How many terms did John Quincy Adams serve?

John Quincy Adams went on to win the presidency in a highly contentious election in 1824, and served only one term. Outspoken in his opposition to slavery and in support of freedom of speech, Adams was elected to the House of Representatives in 1830; he would serve until his death in 1848.

What happened to John Adams after he lost the presidency?

After John Adams lost the presidency to Thomas Jefferson in 1800, he recalled John Quincy from Europe; the younger Adams returned to Boston in 1801 and reopened his law practice. The following year he was elected to the Massachusetts State Senate, and in 1803 the state legislature chose him to serve in the U.S. Senate. Though Adams, like his father, was known as a member of the Federalist Party, once in Washington he voted against the Federalist Party line on several issues, including Jefferson’s ill-fated Embargo Act of 1807, which greatly harmed the interests of New England merchants. He soon became estranged from the Federalists, and came to abhor party politics. Adams resigned his Senate seat in June 1808 and returned to Harvard, where he had been made a professor.

What did John Adams do during his presidency?

John Quincy Adams began his diplomatic career as the U.S. minister to the Netherlands in 1794, and served as minister to Prussia during the presidential administration of his father, the formidable patriot John Adams. After serving in the Massachusetts State Senate and the U.S. Senate, the younger Adams rejoined diplomatic service under President James Madison, helping to negotiate the Treaty of Ghent (1814), which ended the War of 1812. As secretary of state under James Monroe, Adams played a key role in determining the president’s foreign policy, including the famous Monroe Doctrine. John Quincy Adams went on to win the presidency in a highly contentious election in 1824, and served only one term. Outspoken in his opposition to slavery and in support of freedom of speech, Adams was elected to the House of Representatives in 1830; he would serve until his death in 1848.

What party did Adams belong to?

Though Adams, like his father, was known as a member of the Federalist Party, once in Washington he voted against the Federalist Party line on several issues, including Jefferson’s ill-fated Embargo Act of 1807, which greatly harmed the interests of New England merchants.

What was the Monroe doctrine?

He also served as the chief architect of what became known as the Monroe Doctrine (1823), which aimed to prevent further European intervention or colonization in Latin America by asserting U.S. protection over the entire Western Hemisphere.

Why was the Old Man Eloquent so famous?

He served as a leading congressman for the rest of his life, earning the nickname “Old Man Eloquent” for his passionate support of freedom of speech and universal education, and especially for his strong arguments against slavery, the “peculiar institution” that would tear the nation apart only decades later.

Who is John Quincy Adams' spouse?

Copyright 2006 by the White House Historical Association. Learn more about John Quincy Adams’ spouse, Louisa Catherine Johnson Adams.

What did Adams do in 1828?

In 1828, he broke ground for the 185-mile C & 0 Canal. Adams also urged the United States to take a lead in the development of the arts and sciences through the establishment of a national university, the financing of scientific expeditions, and the erection of an observatory.

Where did John Adams live after his defeat?

After his defeat he returned to Massachusetts, expecting to spend the remainder of his life enjoying his farm and his books. Unexpectedly, in 1830, the Plymouth district elected him to the House of Representatives, and there for the remainder of his life he served as a powerful leader.

Where is Old Man Eloquent buried?

In 1848, he collapsed on the floor of the House from a stroke and was carried to the Speaker’s Room, where two days later he died. He was buried–as were his father, mother, and wife–at First Parish Church in Quincy. To the end, “Old Man Eloquent” had fought for what he considered right.

Who appointed Adams as a minister to Russia?

Six years later President Madison appointed him Minister to Russia. Serving under President Monroe, Adams was one of America’s great Secretaries of State, arranging with England for the joint occupation of the Oregon country, obtaining from Spain the cession of the Floridas, and formulating with the President the Monroe Doctrine.

Who appointed Clay as Secretary of State?

Clay, who favored a program similar to that of Adams, threw his crucial support in the House to the New Englander. Upon becoming President, Adams appointed Clay as Secretary of State.

Who was the 6th president of the United States?

Presidents. John Quincy Adams, son of John and Abigail Adams, served as the sixth President of the United States from 1825 to 1829. A member of multiple political parties over the years, he also served as a diplomat, a Senator, and a member of the House of Representatives.

Who was John Quincy Adams?

John Quincy Adams entered the world at the same time that his maternal great-grandfather, John Quincy , for many years a prominent member of the Massachusetts legislature, was leaving it—hence his name. He grew up as a child of the American Revolution. He watched the Battle of Bunker Hill from Penn’s Hill and heard the cannons roar across ...

What was John Adams' occupation?

What was John Quincy Adams’s occupation? John Quincy Adams was a diplomat in the administrations of George Washington, John Adams, and James Madison. He served in the Massachusetts Senate and the United States Senate, and he taught at Harvard. He was secretary of state under James Monroe.

What did Adams negotiate with Prussia?

While in Berlin, Adams negotiated (1799) a treaty of amity and commerce with Prussia. Recalled from Berlin by President Adams after the election of Thomas Jefferson to the presidency in 1800, the younger Adams reached Boston in 1801 and the next year was elected to the Massachusetts Senate.

Where did Thomas Paine read law?

He then read law at Newburyport under the tutelage of Theophilus Parsons, and in 1790 he was admitted to the bar association in Boston. While struggling to establish a practice, he wrote a series of articles for the newspapers in which he controverted some of the doctrines in Thomas Paine ’s Rights of Man (1791).

Where did the boy go to school?

In 1778 and again in 1780 the boy accompanied his father to Europe. He studied at a private school in Paris in 1778–79 and at the University of Leiden, Netherlands, in 1780. Thus, at an early age he acquired an excellent knowledge of the French language and a smattering of Dutch.

Who appointed Adams as the minister of Portugal?

In 1796 Washington, who came to regard young Adams as the ablest officer in the foreign service, appointed him minister to Portugal, but before his departure his father became president and changed the young diplomat’s destination to Prussia. Get a Britannica Premium subscription and gain access to exclusive content.

Who painted Louisa Adams?

Louisa Adams, oil on canvas by Charles Bird King , 1821–25. ART Collection/Alamy. Johnson was not, however, Adams’s first love. When he was 14 years old, he had had a “crush” on an actress he saw perform in France, and for years afterward, he confessed, she was in his dreams.

How did John Quincy Adams weakened his position?

At home, while his foes continued their relentless attack, John Quincy Adams further weakened his position by spurning the role of party leader and refusing to use the patronage weapon in his own defense.

Where did John Adams take his wife?

Before Adams started his duties as U.S. Minister, he took his wife on a trip through part of Prussia called Silesia (today part of Poland). The countryside in this region reminded John Quincy of his home far away in Braintree and Louisa received her first glimpse of what the terrain in Massachusetts was like.

What did Abigail and her son learn about the war?

Abigail and her son were eager to learn more about the progress of the war in order to inform John Adams in Philadelphia of the events that were transpiring in the Boston area. On June 17, 1775 they were told a major battle was underway in Boston.

Where was John Quincy Adams born?

Born on July 11, 1767 in Braintree, Massachusetts, he was the son of two fervent revolutionary patriots, John and Abigail Adams, whose ancestors had lived in New England for five generations. Abigail gave birth to her son two days before her prominent grandfather, Colonel John Quincy, died so the boy was named John Quincy Adams in his honor.

What did John Adams write to Abigail?

From Philadelphia John wrote to Abigail of the Congress' activities and of their duties, as parents, to educate a new generation of Americans. John wrote: "Let us teach them not only to do virtuously, but to excel. To excel, they must be taught to be steady, active and industrious.".

What are the great necessities?

Great necessities call out great virtues. When a mind is raised and animated by scenes that engage the heart, then those qualities, which would otherwise lie dormant, wake into life and form the character of the hero and the statesman. ". The opportunity soon arose for John Quincy to actively serve his country.

What was John Quincy's adherence to his own principles in supporting President Jefferson's Embargo Act?

John Quincy's adherence to his own principles in supporting President Jefferson's Embargo Act (1807), at once gained him the gratitude of the Republican Party, the bitter hostility of the Federalists; and 150 years later - a place in John F. Kennedy's book, Profiles in Courage.

What was John Adams known for?

Adams was well known for his extreme political independence, brilliant mind and passionate patriotism. He was a leader in the Continental Congress and an important diplomatic figure, before becoming America's first vice president.

Who was John Adams' wife?

Also dear to John Adams was his wife and partner of 54 years, Abigail Adams.

Who was John Adams?

By Paul Cornish. John Quincy Adams (1767–1848) was the sixth president of the United States, a legislator, and an attorney. Adams served as a diplomat, senator, and secretary of state before becoming President. Adams was the first son of a president of the United States to also become as president. (Official White House portrait via The White House ...

What was John Quincy's role in the founding of the United States?

John Quincy later served as a diplomat in several European countries, beginning with his appointment as minister to the Netherlands at the age of 26. He was elected to the Senate in 1802 and later served as one of the greatest secretaries of state, having been primarily responsible for the development of the Monroe Doctrine, warning against European military intervention in the Americas.

What did John Adams do after Jackson defeated him?

After Jackson defeated Adams in 1828, Adams retired to Massachusetts. In 1830 the Plymouth district elected him to the House of Representatives, where he served until his death, in 1848. As a representative, Adams was an eloquent leader in defense of civil liberties in general, and particularly the right to petition government.

What did Adams object to?

Adams objected strenuously to any restriction on the right of any person to petition, which he identified as a right that “belongs to humanity” and which in no way depended upon the condition of the petitioner. Adams eventually won the repeal of the rule in 1844.

How old was John Quincy when he became a diplomat?

John Quincy later served as a diplomat in several European countries, beginning with his appointment as minister to the Netherlands at the age of 26.

Which party did John Adams support?

The electoral dispute split the Republican Party — the only party following the demise of the Federalist Party of John Adams after the end of the War of 1812 — with the National Republicans, or “Whigs,” supporting Adams and the Democratic Party supporting Jackson.

Who was the secretary of state of Kentucky in the election of Adams?

During the proceedings in the House, Henry Clay of Kentucky, who was one of the four candidates in the race, threw his support behind Adams and was later appointed secretary of state by Adams.

Introduction

John Quincy Adams was appointed Secretary of State by President James Monroe on March 5, 1817. He served from September 22, 1817, until March 3, 1825. Adams enjoyed unique training in diplomacy and became one of the most influential diplomats in U.S. history.

Rise to Prominence

The son of President John Adams, John Quincy Adams, was born in Braintree (now Quincy) Massachusetts. In 1778 he traveled to France with his father, who was then U.S. commissioner to France. On this and subsequent visits to Europe, the young Adams studied at academies and universities.

Influence on American Diplomacy

Adams’ unsurpassed diplomatic career addressed the major foreign policy challenges of his time. President George Washington appointed him U.S. Minister Resident to the Netherlands in 1794. After serving three years in the Netherlands, Adams became U.S. Minister Resident to Prussia from 1797 to 1801, appointed this time by his father.

How long did John Adams practice law?

From 1790 to 1794, Adams practiced law with little success in Boston. As a new, young lawyer competing for clients with far more established and senior men, he had difficulty attracting paying clients. Not even the fact that his father was now vice president of the United States seemed to help.

What did John Adams do in his life?

From ages ten to seventeen, Adams experienced an incredible European adventure that prepared him for his later career in the foreign service of his country. In late 1777, John Adams was posted to Europe as a special envoy, and in 1778, John Quincy accompanied him to Paris. Over the next seven years, John Quincy would spend time in Paris, the Netherlands, and St. Petersburg, with shorter visits to England, Sweden, and Prussia. The young Adams experienced his first formal schooling at the Passy Academy outside of Paris where—together with the grandsons of Benjamin Franklin—he studied fencing, dance, music, and art. The Adamses remained in France for a little over a year and then returned home for some three months.

How old was John Adams when he met Louisa?

While traveling in France as a young boy, John met Louisa Catherine, the four-year-old daughter of Joshua Johnson, an American merchant who had married an Englishwoman and was then living in Nantes, France. Years later, in 1797, when Louisa had grown into a pretty 22-year-old woman, she and Adams met again. Now he was a 30-year-old diplomat and the ...

What did John Quincy Adams do in the first year of the war?

In the first year of the war, young John Quincy Adams feared for the life of his father and worried that the British might take his family hostage. Indeed, when John Adams signed his name to the Declaration of Independence, he committed an act of treason against England, an offense punishable by death. For John Quincy, these years were actually the ...

How long did Adams serve as secretary of state?

With the election of James Monroe as President, Adams accepted appointment as secretary of state, serving from 1817 to 1825. During his long tenure as head of the State Department, he compiled an impressive record of diplomatic accomplishments.

What did John Adams dislike about the Johnson family?

In time, he began to court Louisa, dining nightly with the family but always leaving when the girls began to sing after the evening meal—Adams disliked the sound of the female voice in song.

What college did Adams go to?

When he returned to America in 1785, Adams enrolled in Harvard College as an advanced student, completing his studies in two years. After college, Adams studied law and passed the Massachusetts bar exam in the summer of 1790.

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