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John Quincy Adams was the only son of a president to become president. He had
an impressive political background that began at the age of fourteen. He was an
intelligent and industrious individual. He was a man of strong character and
high principles. By all account, his presidency should have been a huge success,
yet it wasn't. John Quincy Adams' presidency was frustrating and judged a
failure because of the scandal, attached to his election, the pettiness of his
political rivals, and his strong character. John Quincy Adams was born on July
1767, in Braintree Massachusetts. His parents were John and Abigail Adams.
Quincy, had every advantage as a youngster. At the time of his birth, his father
was an increasingly admired and prospering lawyer, and his mother Abigail Smith
Adams, was the daughter of an esteemed minister, whose wife's family combined
two prestigious and influential lines, the Nortons and the Quincys. Accompanying
his father on diplomatic missions in Europe, young John Quincy Adams received a
splendid education at private schools in Paris, Leiden, and Amsterdam, early
developing his penchant for omnivorous reading. He was able to speak several
languages. At the age of fourteen, he was asked to serve as secretary and
translator to Francis Dana, the first US ambassador to Russia. Despite his age,
young Adams was a valuable aid to the consul; he enjoyed Russia and the exposure
to diplomatic circles. He later returned to the United States and attended
Harvard. He graduated in two years and entered the law offices of Theophilus
Parsons in Newburyport, Massachusetts.
Passing the bar in 1790, he set up
practice in Boston. In 1794 John began his long political career. George
Washington appointed John Quincy Adams an Ambassador to the Netherlands. After
his father was elected as the second president of the United States, he was
reassigned to the post of minister to Prussia. He kept this post throughout his
fathers’ term of office. After his fathers defeat to Thomas Jefferson he
returned home. In 1802 he was elected to the Massachusetts senate, which sent
him to the U. S senate the following year. He was also appointed to the Supreme
Court, a membership he declined. President James Madison then appointed him to
minister to Russia in 1809. He continued to serve his country and gained a
well-respected reputation. Adding to his reputation was his brilliant and
tough-minded performance as chief American peace commissioner in the
negotiations at Gent that ended the War of 1812 and his effectiveness as
minister to Great Britain during the last two years of the Madison
administration. He continued to distinguish himself by negotiating a treaty with
Spain. The Adams-Onis Treaty with Spain, concluded with Spain on February 22,
1819.
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