Adams 2 at 250

Today marks 250 years since the July 11, 1767, birth of John Quincy Adams,  politician and 6th president of the United States.

With many individuals, they are born in relative obscurity, and then through various circumstances rise to prominence.  I'm aware of this being the case with many US presidents, having read their biographical profiles.

But John Quincy Adams was born in a prominent position, because his father, John Adams, was a well-known figure at the time of John Quincy's birth in 1767, and John Adams grew only more famous in just the next few years when the American Revolution got underway, even before becoming the 2nd president of the United States.

Yet John Quincy has a notable and fascinating life story all of his own, and this occasion takes me back to 7th grade when I did a book report project on a biography of him.  After growing up in a privileged position and in a family that was significantly involved in the American Revolution, he established himself in his own right serving in government positions, starting when President George Washington appointed him US ambassador to Netherlands.  He served in other ambassadorship positions, including the ambassadorship to Prussia, which his father appointed him to, which is fitting because he spent time with his father while John Adams was in Europe serving as US envoy to secure support for the United States in the American Revolution, and then later as official ambassador once the United States was officially independent.  (And foreign diplomacy service became a family tradition for the Adamses in succeeding generations.)  While serving in Europe, John Quincy Adams developed a relationship with the daughter of  US diplomat, Louisa Catherine Johnson, whom he eventually married.  She was the first foreign-born US first lady, with the second being current US First Lady Melania Trump.  Also while in Europe, John Quincy Adams collaborated with the British in negotiating an end to the War of 1812 with the Treaty of Ghent.

All this work serving the US abroad led to John Quincy Adams's becoming US Secretary of State, which gave him an important part in composing the Monroe Doctrine, as well as securing Florida for the United States.  The Secretary of State position became a springboard to the US presidency for him.  Both campaigns he ran in were particularly unpleasant, and he only became president after the election went to the US House, after none of the four candidates got a majority of electoral votes, which allowed him to become president without winning the popular vote.  He got mired in the big debates over the role of government and tariffs, even while during his presidency, the United States made great strides in development and enhancing infrastructure, and even welcomed the Marquis de Lafayette, who came for a tour throughout the United States.

Then, John Quincy Adams went back to Congress, serving in the US House, after having served in the US Senate decades before.  It was also later in life that he defended the slaves of the Amistad before the US Supreme Court.  He ended up breathing his last in the US Capitol, collapsing during a session that was debating matters related to the Mexican-American War.

Talk about quite a span of history he witnessed in his lifetime, from the days of the American Revolution, when the nation was coming into existence, all the way to the days when the United States started flexing its muscles.

One of the episodes of the PBS children's series Liberty's Kids gave a fascinating look at the life of the Adams family, and how precocious John Quincy was growing up, surely a reflection of his notable circumstances, and the stellar education he got.  At the beginning of that episode, Benjamin Franklin tells John Quincy how the responsibility of steering the course of the new nation will one day be upon him and those of his generation.  And to think of all that John Quincy Adams would accomplish in his lifetime.  It truly is incredible to watch that scene and realize that Dr. Franklin is talking with a person who will one day become president of a country that was still in the making at that moment in time.

This occasion provides a great opportunity to remember all the remarkable people who witnessed significant parts of United States history, and the contributions they made.

So here's a salute to John Quincy Adams at 250.