When he was young, John Quincy Adams was told by his father, President John Adams, “If you do not rise to the head of your country…it will be owing to your own laziness….” At age 26, John Quincy Adams was appointed by George Washington to be the U.S. minister to the Netherlands. At age 35, he was elected to the U.S. Senate. A talented diplomat, he was minister to Britain and Russia and secretary of state under James Monroe. And in 1825, he was elected president.

But it was a tough battle for the presidency. In that contest, Andrew Jackson received a plurality, but not a majority, of electoral votes, and the election was thrown into the U.S. House. Adams won by six votes in a victory dubbed “The Corrupt Bargain” by his foes. The bitter election cast a cloud over the Adams presidency.

In an era of technical innovation, Adams focused on the economy and education. He paid off much of the national debt.

In a rematch in 1828, Andrew Jackson defeated Adams, who retired with his wife Louisa to his hometown of Quincy, Massachusetts. Of his presidency, Adams said, “I can scarcely conceive of a more wearing, harassing…existence.” The next year, he was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. An ardent opponent of slavery, Adams served in the House for 17 years, earning the nickname “Old Man Eloquent.” On February 23, 1848, after casting a vote, he suffered a massive stroke. His last words were, “This is the end of the earth. I am content.”