John Adams

John Adams, Jr. (October 30, 1735 – July 4, 1826) served as America's first Vice President (1789–1797) and as its second President (1797–1801). He was defeated for re-election in the "Revolution of 1800" by Thomas Jefferson. Adams was also the 1st President to reside in the newly-built White House in Washington, D.C., which was completed in 1800.

Adams was a sponsor of the American Revolution in Massachusetts, and a diplomat and a rebel in the 1770s. He was a driving force for independence in 1776; in fact, he was the "Colossus of Independence" in Jefferson's understanding. As a statesman and author, he helped define a set of core republican ideals that became central to America's political value system: the rejection of hereditary monarchy in favor of rule by the people, hatred of corruption, and devotion to civic duty. As President, he was frustrated by battles inside his own Federalist party against a faction led by Alexander Hamilton, but he broke with them to avert a major conflict with France in 1798, during the Quasi-War crisis. He became the founder of an important family of politicians, diplomats and historians, and in recent years his reputation has been good. Historian Robert Rutland concluded, "Madison was the great intellectual ... Jefferson the ... unquenchable idealist, and Franklin the most charming and versatile genius... but Adams is the most captivating founding father on most counts."