John Quincy Adams (1767–1848) was an American statesman who served as a diplomat, minister and ambassador to foreign nations, and treaty negotiator,
United States Senator,
Congressman from
Massachusetts, and the
sixth President of the United States from 1825 to 1829. Involved in negotiating the treaties of
Ghent,
1818, and
Adams–Onís, Adams has been called one of the United States' greatest diplomats and secretaries of state. As president, he sought to
modernize the American economy and promote education, paying off much of the
national debt despite being stymied by a Congress controlled by opponents and lacking patronage networks. Historians have
generally ranked him as an above-average president.
Engraving: Bureau of Engraving and Printing; restoration: Andrew Shiva