John Adams
Now we move in time from the third President of the United States back to the Second. John Adams is known as one of the fine behind the scenes politicians who was heavily involved in the Revolution. While being a notoriously poor public speaker and uncharismatic, Adams had a brilliant political mind and was a skilled diplomat.
He was born in 1735 and grew up to become a highly successful lawyer who had strong patriotic feelings. Both Continental Congresses featured him as a distinguished guest to help convince America that it was time to dissolve their political ties with England.
Throughout the American Revolutionary War, Adams worked on negotiations to end the conflict time after time. In fact, he was the primary negotiator of the Treaty of Paris that would completely cease the conflict. Back in the States, Adams was elected to become the Vice President of George Washington.
Eight years later, he would even make it to the position of President himself. This office wouldn’t prove to be highly beneficial to Adams’ legacy, however, as he was involved in the tangled mess known as the XYZ Affair. He was also blasted for passing the Alien and Sedition Acts which limited free speech. Adams passed away on July 4th 1826, the exact same day as his political rival, Thomas Jefferson.