John Adams

The Reluctant President Who Argued America Into Existence

John Adams was America’s original loud-and-proud overachiever — a man who could out-argue, outwork, and out-stubborn just about anyone in the room (and he usually did). Born in 1735 in Braintree, Massachusetts, he made his name as a lawyer willing to defend even the most unpopular clients — like the British soldiers from the Boston Massacre — because principle mattered more to him than popularity.

When the Revolution came knocking, Adams became the “Atlas of Independence,” hauling the idea of freedom on his back through the Continental Congress and convincing the hesitant to break ties with Britain. He teamed up with Thomas Jefferson to draft the Declaration of Independence, though not without the occasional verbal fencing match.

After helping secure foreign alliances and financing for the war, Adams served as George Washington’s vice president — a job he famously described as “the most insignificant office that ever the invention of man contrived.” Still, he went on to become America’s second president, where he managed to keep the young republic out of war with France (earning peace but losing re-election).

On July 4, 1826 — the 50th anniversary of the Declaration — Adams died just hours after Jefferson, reportedly saying, “Thomas Jefferson still survives,” not realizing his friend-turned-rival had already slipped away.

John Adams wasn’t the tallest, the flashiest, or the smoothest talker in the room — but without his grit, sharp tongue, and iron will, America’s fight for independence might have been a very different story.

“Old minds are like old horses; you must exercise them if you wish to keep them in working order.”

—John Adams