John Adams 1735–1826

Second president, 1797–1801

Of all the Founding Fathers, John Adams was perhaps the most intellectual and accomplished. He helped craft the argument supporting the independence of the Continental Congress and later served on the diplomatic mission that ended the Revolutionary War. When George Washington chose him as his vice president, Adams complained that his lack of official duties meant that he occupied “the most insignificant office that ever the invention of man contrived.” Nevertheless, he used the position as his ticket to the presidency and was elected in 1796 after a bitter campaign against Thomas Jefferson.

During Adams’s single term as president, political posturing and bickering inhibited him at home, and France’s interference with American commerce in its war with Great Britain created a challenge for him abroad. Adams managed to keep the nation at peace, but he left the White House in 1801 largely discredited on all sides.

When Adams was vice president, he had portraits done by the artist John Trumbull, who based this painting on one of those original portraits. Later Trumbull incorporated this likeness into his depiction of the signing of the Declaration of Independence that is on display in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda.