#john quincy adams

[deadpresidents]

Which President, in your opinion, was the most reluctant to seek the position? Which wound up hating it the most by the end of his term?

I am a strong believer that nobody truly becomes President of the United States "reluctantly". That's not exactly the kind of job that seeks you, especially the modern Presidency.

For a significant slice of American history, many of the people nominated for President acted as if they were being called upon to run when, behind-the-scenes, they were very active in building their campaigns and corralling supporters. Until the 20th Century it was frowned upon to openly run for the Presidency, but almost all of the Presidents wanted the gig.

I'd say that George Washington was probably more reluctant than most of his successors and likely would have preferred retiring to Mount Vernon after the Revolution, but I think he also recognized that he was the guy who needed to be the President that set the precedents. I think Ulysses S. Grant would have been perfectly happy to not be President, but once he was elected in 1868 he also wanted to keep the job. He even tried to run for a third term in 1880.

That 1880 election might have been the one case where the winner -- James Garfield -- genuinely wasn't interested in the Presidency at that point. He had gone to the Republican National Convention to support fellow Ohioan John Sherman (and defeat Grant's hopes for a third term) and gained some major attention after giving a well-received speech placing Sherman's name in nomination. When the candidacies of Sherman and James G. Blaine -- another anti-Grant candidate -- stalled, Garfield became a compromise choice and was eventually nominated on the 36th ballot. Garfield was apparently legitimately shocked by the events leading to him leaving Chicago as the GOP nominee.

By most accounts, William Howard Taft was far more interested in a potential seat on the Supreme Court than becoming President. At heart he was a judge and believed himself to be better suited for the judiciary than the Executive Branch. But Taft turned down three offers by Theodore Roosevelt to be appointed to the Supreme Court (in 1902, 1903, and 1906) because he felt obligated to complete his work as Governor-General of the Philippines and then Secretary of War. But Taft's wife desperately wanted him to become President and by the time of President Roosevelt's third offer of a seat on the Court, Taft was already being talked about as Roosevelt's hand-picked successor in the White House. And, as with all other Presidents, once he had a taste for the job, he didn't want to give it up, running for re-election in 1912 against his former friend, Roosevelt.

Gerald Ford is the only other President who hadn't spent a significant portion of his political career with his eyes on the White House. Ford spent nearly a quarter-century in the House of Representatives and his main ambition was to be Speaker of the House, but Republicans weren't able to win control of the House when Ford was in Congressional leadership positions. But even with Ford being a creature of Congress, he did attempt to put himself forward as a nominee for the Vice Presidency, first in 1960 and then in 1968, and Nixon kicked the tires on picking him as his running mate in 1960. No one wants to be Vice President without seeing it as a potential stepping stone to the Presidency, particularly at that point in history before Vice Presidents were empowered with some real influence within the Administrations they served in.

As for who wound up hating it by the end of their time in office, I think it's safe to say that John Quincy Adams didn't shed too many tears when he was defeated for re-election in 1828. And I'm sure he wouldn't use the word "hate", but nobody can convince me that George W. Bush wasn't thoroughly ready to escape Washington by late-2007. There were times in 2008 when he seemed like he just wanted to hold a snap election like they have in parliamentary systems and go home to Texas. If some Presidential insider published a book that said that Bush asked if he could just give the keys to the White House to Barack Obama in July 2008, I wouldn't be the least bit shocked.

On the other hand, if there were no term limits, Bill Clinton would have been running for President in every election since 1992 (and the crazy thing is that he's still younger than both of the presumptive 2024 nominees). I'm kind of surprised that he didn't make an effort to repeal the 22nd Amendment in the past 20 years. Clinton loved being President and was trying to find something Presidential to do until minutes before his successor was inaugurated in 2001.

[the-evil-clergyman]

Two Elves by John Quincy Adams (Late 19th - Early 20th Century)

[peaceinthestorm]

John Quincy Adams (1874-1933, Austrian) ~ Lilly Berger, 1907

[Source: english.jqadams.art]

[random-brushstrokes]

John Quincy Adams - Wertheim during an operation (1909)

Prof. Ernst Wertheim (1864-1920), since 1910 full professor at the II. University Women's Hospital, was the first to introduce a surgical treatment method (total removal) of cervical cancer, which until then had not been curable. However, the operation shown in the picture is a removal of a uterine myoma (a benign uterine tumor). Except for some artistic details (the doctors do not wear caps and Dr. Micholitsch should not stand at the side of the patient, but between her legs) the operation is depicted in correct detail. The operation probably took place in the Bettina Foundation Pavilion of the k. k. Kaiserin-Elisabeth-Spital (named after Bettina, the late wife of Albert Freiherr von Rothschild), where Wertheim worked before his appointment to the University Women's Hospital. (source)

[dustzvacuumcleaner]

Doodled this during apush midterm review

[problematic-president]

If the founding fathers were alive today

George washington: skibidi toilet

John adams: HATES skibidi toilet

Thomas jefferson: ??? Too busy having sex

James madison: disintegrates upon watching skibidi toilet

James monroe: flatlines

John quincy adams: HATES skibidi toilet

Andrew jackson: skibidi toilet

Martin van buren: skibidi toilet, but only because jackson did it first

William henry harrison: flatlines

John tyler: i actually know nothing abt john tyler. Maybe he'd like it

James k polk: skibidi toilet, but only because jackson did it first

Bonus

Abraham lincoln: got shot in the head while watching skibidi toilet

[unanchored-ship]

help

[coolconsiderateman]

Guy found his father's diary

[roehenstart]

Emperor Charles I of Austria. By John Quincy Adams.

[generic-lab-assistant]

Getting back into making the cat presidents, stay tuned

[nataliedoesnotlie]

coquette john quincy adam’s 🎀

[empirearchives]

“That one never sleeps” — Napoleon mentioned in John Quincy Adams’ diary

Pictured: The Elephant of the Bastille. Commissioned by Napoleon. It was supposed to be made of bronze, but only a plaster full-scale model was built.

Between diplomatic appointments, John Quincy Adams met his wife and son in Paris. He was at leisure, passing time as he wrote in his diary “as agreeably as any part of my life.” By happenstance, the visit of Adams coincided with the return of Napoleon from Elba, called the Hundred Days, which ended with his defeat at Waterloo. In his diary entry of March 28, 1815, Adams mentions a chat with the doorkeeper of the elephant, who told him that 200 men once worked on the job, but now, under Louis XVIII (the restored Bourbon monarch), only 7 or 8. With Napoleon’s return, said the doorkeeper, work on the fountain would resume “because that one doesn’t sleep” (car celui-là ne dort pas). The artist was unable to persuade the government, when the monarchy returned, that the elephant had naught to do with Bonaparte. It figures in Victor Hugo’s masterpiece Les Misérables when a ruthless crook occupies it and, showing a loving heart, shelters a street urchin. The basin remains today.

— Aaron Burr in Exile: A Pariah in Paris, 1810-1811, by Jane Merrill and John Endicott, pp. 99

—————

Adams’ diary entry, date: 28 March 1815

We rode round upon the Boulevards to the Porte St. Antoine; and visited the works, at the Canal de l’Oureq and the colossal Elephant to be erected in Bronze, for a public fountain on the spot where the Bastille formerly stood— The model in clay is under a shed—it is 55 feet high, and 45 feet long— In a separate chamber, shewn to us by the door keeper, as a special favour, there is a small model in clay, marked out in pieces, as the great bronze original work is to be cast— He told us that there had been formerly two hundred workmen constantly employed upon it— That while the king was here, it was almost abandoned—not more than seven or eight men kept at work. Now it would be resumed Car celui la ne dort pas, and in two years the work would be completed.

(John Quincy Adams Digital Diary)

[tomorrowusa]

Happy Presidents Day! It's time for the results of the annual Presidential Greatness Project Expert Survey

So here are the five best and five worst presidents according to the 2024 survey. BTW, Grover Cleveland only gets counted once for this survey.

Here are the historians' collective rankings for the top five and bottom five.

I'm fully in agreement with #1 and #45.

The entire 12 page article (PDF) can be read here.

Lincoln, FDR, and Washington are in an exclusive group of greatness by themselves. Trump is in an exclusive group of odium all by himself. The ghosts of James Buchanan and Andrew Johnson are undoubtedly pleased that thanks to Trump, they'll never need to worry again about being considered the worst ever POTUS.

Some other tidbits from the survey.

Jimmy Carter (#22 overall) was chosen as the most underrated POTUS.

John F. Kennedy (#10 overall) was chosen as the most overrated.

The biggest rise in the rankings was by Barack Obama who rose 9 places since 2015.

The biggest decline goes to Andrew Jackson who tumbled 12 places since 2015.

Joe Biden is at #14 overall – in between John Adams and Woodrow Wilson. Though Biden is essentially tied with Adams; both having received scores of 62.66 points.

The ratings average which Republican historians gave to Biden (47.69) was significantly higher than the ratings average which Democratic historians gave to Trump (6.66). No, I didn't make up that 666. 👿

It's only history scholars who participated in this survey. They tend to take a longer view than most of us.

My biggest disagreements are that I would have placed Gerald Ford and John Quincy Adams higher and George W. Bush much lower.

A couple of articles about the 2024 rankings...

MAGA freaks out after Fox News reports Obama in top 10 presidents — and Trump in dead last

Presidential experts rank Biden 14th among presidents in survey, Trump comes in last

[peaceinthestorm]

John Quincy Adams (1874-1933, Austrian) ~ Interior Study for Portrait of Johann II. Liechtenstein, 1908

[dustzvacuumcleaner]

Too many old stuffs lol dk which to post everyday

tagging these names makes me sick

[problematic-president]

Do u guys think jqa was ecstatic to receive the hamburr duel as a birthday gift