Adams, a Massachusetts family of statesmen, scholars, and authors that included two Presidents of the United States. It is considered by many historians to be the most remarkable family in American history. Intellectually gifted and articulate, its members made notable contributions to public life and letters from colonial times to the 20th century.
Henry Adams (1583?–1646), the founder of the family in America, came from England in 1636. He settled at Mount Wollaston (later called Braintree. now Quincy), Massachusetts, and became a farmer. Two of his great-grandsons were Samuel (1689–1748) and John Adams (1691–1761). One of Samuel's 12 children was the Revolutionary War patriot Samuel Adams (1722–1803). John was the father of the second President of the United States. John Adams (1735–1826).
The eldest son of President Adams, John Quincy Adams (1767–1848), became the sixth President of the United States. John Quincy Adams' son. Charles Francis Adams (1807–1886), served as minister to Great Britain during the Civil War. Three of Charles Francis Adams' sons were historians—Charles Francis (1835–1915), Henry (1838–1918), and Brooks Adams (1848–1927). Their nephew, Charles Francis Adams (1866–1954), was secretary of the navy in the cabinet of President Herbert Hoover.
These men are discussed in this article in chronological order.
