The 2nd U.S. President

 

John Adams

Born: October 30, 1735

Died: July 4, 1826

Term in Office: 1797-1801

 

Never been as appreciative of this John Adams guy as I should be probably... at least in regard to his being the 2nd president of this country. I don't know what it is about him. Maybe it's that he doesn't look presidential? That really doesn't hold water. Most of those rogues weren't chisel-chinned Marvel super-hero types. Harrison Ford and Michael Douglas were only Hollywood wanna-be presidents.

But this man, referred to by some of his contemporary critics as "His Rotundity," in response to his belief that the president should be addressed as "His Majesty" or "His Highness," was actually a stand-up guy, interested in justice for everyone. This was evidenced by his staunch defense of British soldiers who had opened fire on colonists in the 1770 Boston Massacre. He argued that the nine men had acted in self-defense against a hostile mob and succeeded in getting seven of the men off. The remaining two were convicted of manslaughter.

Historian James Taylor (not to be confused with "I'm-your-handyman" James Taylor) writes that Adams "believed that the executive branch should stand above politics." Whew, boy... wouldn't that be nice? Heard an analyst/pundit on NPR the other day say that the Supreme Court, the judicial branch, was losing its rep as a non-political entity. It seems to me that all three branches of our government today are loyal to party politics first and country last (far behind personal gain).

But back to Adams... Back in the days before texts and emails, this man proved to be a devoted husband to his Abigail, through their over 1,000 letters to each other.

A couple of other bits of trivia on the stout fellow:

The White House, known at that time as "the President's House," was finished just four months before the end of Adams one term as president, so he lived there a very short time as its first resident.

The 1800 campaign for president between Adams and VP Thomas Jefferson was a precursor to subsequent mud-slinging contests, and one of the mud-slingingest. Adams believed in a more centralized government, and Jefferson echoed what today's Republicans call for: states' rights.

The two political foes, founding fathers both, died on the same 4th of July, 50 years after the Declaration's adoption.

Thanks to www.millercenter.org and www.history.com for resource materials.

Peace to all, and take time to write an actual letter with pen and paper to someone special in your life.