President John Adams

John Adams  (October 30, 1735 – July 4, 1826) was an American statesman and Founding Father who served as the first Vice President (1789–1797) and second President of the United States (1797–1801).  He was a lawyer, diplomat, political theorist, and a leader of the movement for American independence from Great Britain.  He was also a dedicated diarist and correspondent, particularly with his wife and closest advisor Abigail.  Adams collaborated with his cousin, revolutionary leader Samuel Adams, but he established his own prominence prior to the American Revolution.  Adams was a delegate from Massachusetts to the Continental Congress, where he played a leading role in persuading Congress to declare independence.  He assisted Thomas Jefferson in drafting the Declaration of Independence in 1776, and was its foremost advocate in the Congress.  Adams’s credentials as a revolutionary secured for him two terms as President George Washington’s vice president (1789 to 1797) and also his own election in 1796 as the second president.  (More from Wikipedia)