Object Image

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 ...

1793
Oil on canvas
65.1 x 54.9 x 2.5 cm
NPG.75.52
Image and text © National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution, 2024

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