He previously served as the eighth United States secretary of state from to During his long diplomatic and political career, Adams served as an ambassador and also as a member of the United States Congress representing Massachusetts in both chambers.
Initially a Federalist like his father, he won election to the presidency as a member of the Democratic-Republican Party , and later, in the mids, became affiliated with the Whig Party. Born in Braintree, Massachusetts , Adams spent much of his youth in Europe, where his father served as a diplomat.
After returning to the United States, Adams established a successful legal practice in Boston. Federalist leaders in Massachusetts arranged for Adams's election to the United States Senate in , but Adams broke with the Federalist Party over foreign policy and was denied re-election.
Multilingual , Adams held diplomatic posts for the duration of Madison's presidency, and he served as part of the American delegation that negotiated an end to the War of In , President James Monroe selected Adams as his secretary of state.
He also helped formulate the Monroe Doctrine , which became a key tenet of U. Adams, Andrew Jackson , William H. Crawford , and Henry Clay —all members of the Democratic-Republican Party—competed in the presidential election.
