President of the Day

What sport or recreation did John Quincy Adams engage in regularly while president?

He loved to swim in the Potomac River, which he often did as early as 5:00 Sometimes he even skinny-dipped in the river. One story--which may or may not be true--was that female journalist Anne Royell successfully obtained an exclusive interview with Adams by refusing to give him his clothes when he finished his swim unless the spoke to her on the record.

How did Adams die?

Adams suffered a stroke on the House floor in February 1848. Two days later he died. Several of his colleagues remarked that it was fitting that Adams worked until his death given his devotion to the House.

What did John Quincy Adams have in common with his father with respect to reelection?

John Quincy Adams and his father were the only two of the first seven presidents to not win reelection. Presidents George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, James Monroe, and Andrew Jackson all served two full terms in office. John Quincy Adams also did not attend the inauguration of his successor Andrew Jackson, just as his father declined to attend the inauguration of his successor Thomas Jefferson.

What later essays that Adams wrote attracted the attention of George Washington?

Adams wrote a series of essays in 1793 and 1794 that defended President Washington's proclamation of neutrality that Washington had issued when Great Britain and France began fighting. The French minister to the United States, Edmond Genet, had attacked Washington's position. Adams--writing under the pen names "Marcellus," "Columbus," and "Barneveld"--supported the president and showed a keen understanding of international law.

What was his father's profession?

John Quincy Adams was the oldest son of John Adams, the second president of the United States. They were the first father and son to serve as commanders in chief of the United States of America. It was not until George W. Bush became the forty-third president, following in the footsteps of his father, George H. W. Bush, that there was another father-son political dynasty. John Adams was a politician and a lawyer--just as John Quincy Adams would become.

From The Handy Presidents Answer Book, Second Edition by David L. Hudson, Jr., JD., (c) Visible Ink Press(R) More than 1,600 things you never knew about our nation's leaders