John Quincy Adams II was an American lawyer and politician. Adams was a Democratic member for several terms of the Massachusetts general court and was an unsuccessful candidate for governor on the Democratic ticket in 1867 and 1871.
Background
John Quincy Adams II was born on September 22, 1833 in Boston, Massachusetts, United States; the son of Charles Francis Adams and Abigail Brown Brooks. He was the grandson of the 6th United States president, John Quincy Adams, after whom he received his name, and the great-grandson of the 2nd president, John Adams.
Education
John Quincy Adams II graduated from Harvard University in 1853.
Attaining an admission to the bar, John Quincy Adams began practicing in Boston. He later established an experimental model farm near Quincy, Massachusetts.
During the Civil War he served on the staff of Governor John Albion Andrew with the rank of colonel.
After the war, before entering the Massachusetts state legislature, Adams held several positions in local offices of Quincy, including town meeting moderator, school board chairman and judge of the local court.
Adams was elected as a Member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives four times - in 1865, 1867, 1870 and 1873. Between 1867 – 1871 he ran five times as the Democratic nominee for Governor of Massachusetts, but unsuccessfully.
In 1868, at the Democratic National Convention, Adams received one vote for the Democratic nomination for President of the United States. In 1872, Adams was nominated for vice-president on the "Straight-Out Democratic" ticket but declined.
After losing an election for lieutenant governor in 1873 and again in 1876, Adams refused most further involvement in politics, though he was considered by Grover Cleveland for a cabinet position in 1893.
Achievements
Politics
Early in career Adams was elected to the Massachusetts state legislature as a Republican, but soon switched to the Democratic Party because of his disaffection with Republican Reconstruction policies.
Membership
In 1877 Adams was made a member of the Harvard Corporation.
Connections
Adams married Frances (Fanny) Cadwalader Crowninshield, the daughter of George and Harriet Sears Crowninshield. The marriage produced six children, among whom were George Caspar Adams and Charles Francis Adams III.