John Quincy Adams: A Public Life, A Private Life [Hardcover]

Paul C. Nagel (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 30, 1997

February 21, 1848, the House of Representatives, Washington, D.C.:  Congressman John Quincy Adams, rising to speak, suddenly collapses at his desk; two days later, he dies in the Speaker's chamber. The public mourning that followed, writes Paul C. Nagel, "exceeded anything previously seen in America." Forgotten was his failed presidency and his often cold demeanor. It was the memory of an extraordinary human being--one who in his last years had fought heroically for the right of petition and against a war to expand slavery--that drew a grateful people to salute his coffin in the Capitol and to stand by the railroad tracks as his bier was transported from Washington to Boston. Nagel probes deeply into the psyche of this cantankerous, misanthropic, erudite, hardworking son of a former president whose remarkable career spanned many offices: minister to Holland, Russia, and England, U.S. senator, secretary of state, president of the United States (1825-1829), and, finally, U.S. representative (the only ex-president to serve in the House). On the basis of a thorough study of Adams' seventy-year diary, among a host of other documents, the author gives us a richer account than we have yet had of JQA's life--his passionate marriage to Louisa Johnson, his personal tragedies (two sons lost to alcoholism), his brilliant diplomacy, his recurring depression, his exasperating behavior--and shows us why, in the end, only Abraham Lincoln's death evoked a greater outpouring of national sorrow in nineteenth-century America. We come to see how much Adams disliked politics and hoped for more from life than high office; how he sought distinction in literary and scientific endeavors, and drew his greatest pleasure from being a poet, critic, translator, essayist, botanist, and professor of oratory at Harvard; how tension between the public and private Adams vexed his life; and how his frustrations kept him masked and aloof (and unpopular). Nagel's great achievement, in this first biography of America's sixth president in a quarter century, is finally to portray Adams in all his talent and complexity.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Who is the real John Quincy Adams? The brilliant secretary of state, prime mover behind the Monroe Doctrine, and principled opponent of slavery, defender of the Africans shanghaied aboard the Amistad? Or the ineffectual president stymied by a hostile Congress and his own self-righteousness, the vindictive political foe famed for his cold, disagreeable character? Paul C. Nagel, author of two previous books about the Adams family, seeks to give readers a more human Adams (1767-1848) whose complex nature contained many contradictions. John Quincy Adams is a valuable revisionist biography of a misunderstood figure at the crossroads of American history.

From Library Journal

Of all American public figures, none led a more remarkable life than John Quincy Adams. The son of a president, Adams was an elected congressman, an accomplished diplomat, a president himself, and, after vacating the White House in virtual disgrace, a congressman once again from 1831 until his death in 1848. He was a man of letters, had a passion for science and technology, and, more important for the historian, kept a diary for nearly 70 years. With this excellent biography, Nagel continues a string of successful books on America's first families?the Adamses and the Lees (e.g., Descent from Glory, LJ 12/1/82, and The Lees of Virginia, LJ 6/15/90). Nagel focuses more on the private Adams, utilizing diary entries to provide keen insight into this extraordinary man, who often suffered from severe depression. The result is a fascinating psychobiography. Highly recommended for all libraries.?Boyd Childress, Auburn Univ. Lib., Ala.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 432 pages
• Publisher: Knopf; 1st edition (September 30, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0679404449
• ISBN-13: 978-0679404446
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.5 x 1.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (62 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #596,443 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #67 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > People, A-Z > ( A ) > Adams, John

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

65 of 70 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Exceptional biography, January 2, 2001

By 

Candace Scott (Lake Arrowhead, CA, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: John Quincy Adams: A Public Life, A Private Life (Hardcover)

It's a matter of debate who was our most intelligent President: Lincoln, Madison and Jefferson would certainly garner their share of votes. But John Quincy Adams warrants serious consideration: he was an intellectual titan with an astounding breadth of intellect. He was impossibly well-read, sober, amazingly articulate with a rapier-like ability to demolish opponents or defend his position. It's debatable whether he was, in fact, America's most brilliant President, but this book goes a long way in making that case.

Nagel wisely delves into Adams' private side and quotes extensively from his own words. If you are looking for a glum recitation of Adams' political life, look elsewhere, this is a more human biography. There was a refreshing amount of material focusing on Adams' boyhood, and the chapters covering his Congressional years are especially interesting. His story reads like something from a novel: failed President transformed into one of the most influential Congressmen who ever serve in the House.

My only minor criticism is that Nagel does not sufficiently explore or explain Adams' brilliant son, Henry, who grew up to be a caustic and clever chronicler of the late 10th century. Otherwise, this is a solid book, well-written, thoroughly researched and illuminating.

32 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good Biography But Not Enough Politics, August 1, 2004

By 

C. Baker "cbaker" (Washington, DC) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: John Quincy Adams: A Public Life, a Private Life (Paperback)

John Quincy Adams had a really amazing career of public service. Being the son of one of our country's founding fathers and second president John Quincy Adams had a lot of advantages. But it was his intelligence and hard work that merited him his many positions.

It's almost hard to fathom all the public positions held by JQA in his life. From a legislator in Massachusetts, to a long and distinguished career as a diplomat in Europe - most notably Russia where he was a close confidant of the Tzar Alexander - to Secretary of State, sixth President of the United States, and U.S. Congressman. He even turned down an appointment to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Relying heavily on a very personal diary JQA kept nearly his entire adult life, this biography delves deeply into the psyche and private life of JQA, giving us an intimate portrait of his personality, family life, religious beliefs, and even some of the things that shaped his thoughts and personality. We literally follow JQA in his day to day life. The biography, as it stands, is extremely interesting.

The downfall of the book is that it does not deal enough with JQA's politics. We end up knowing far more about JQA's religious beliefs at the end of the biography than we do about his political thought. A perfect example is that JQA, as Secretary of State, was the primary influence behind the Monroe Doctrine dictating that European powers could no longer attempt to influence politics or colonize countries in the Western Hemisphere. Other than crediting JQA for this, the author does nothing to explore the details of how this extremely important political stance came about.

Further, while JQA's presidency may have been somewhat of a failure - mostly because he was a president elected not only by a minority of voters but a minority of the electoral college as well - it certainly deserved more than one chapter of the book. And that chapter is almost devoid of political analysis. (Note the House of Representatives ended up choosing the president since none of the candidates had a majority of electoral college votes, therefore JQA's power was significantly weakened and his presidency was one where the legislative branch was dominant). This biography begs for second volume just about JQA's public or political life.

Despite that flaw I did find the biography fascinating. It certainly did give one an appreciation for JQA's pragmatism and irascibility, which are clear in his political stances and behavior.

Two pieces of trivia that many readers probably know. John Adams and John Quincy Adams were the only father and son to both be President of the United States until George Bush and George W. Bush. Secondly, JQA is the only ex-President to subsequently become a member of Congress (in this case the House of Representatives).

26 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars More character analysis than historical biography, July 23, 2002

By 

T. Graczewski "tgraczewski" (Burlingame, CA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: John Quincy Adams: A Public Life, a Private Life (Paperback)

John Quincy Adams has long endured the reputation of an aloof, pugnacious elitist totally out of touch with his constituency and his times. In this recent biography, Paul Nagel seeks to go beyond the historical negative image of our sixth president to uncover the man behind the mask.

Given the author's stated intention, this book is as much character analysis as historical biography. Other reviewers of this book listed below have criticized Nagel for neglecting an in-depth accounting of JQA's public accomplishments. Clearly, they didn't read the preface (in which the author clearly lays out the focus of the book) and would have been much better off reading a different volume on Adams' life, such as Samuel Flagg Bemis' masterwork, "John Quincy Adams and the Foundations of American Foreign Policy," which won the 1950 Pulitzer Prize for Biography and provides a comprehensive analysis of JQA's many public achievements.

Using JQA's private diary as the primary source, Nagel describes a talented but conflicted man tormented by a life of extreme self-doubt and merciless self-criticism. From an early age JQA was groomed for greatness by his parents. But that preparation - which included a stint as secretary to the US Minister to Russia while only 14 years old, the best classical education a young American of his time could dream of, and close contact with many heads of state and intellectuals - proved to be more curse than blessing in a nation rapidly shifting toward the popular democracy of Jacksonianism. The intense pressure to succeed and a public increasingly hostile to his aristocratic upbringing and bearing caused JQA a lifetime of great personal anguish and ultimately national rejection.

For those interested in learning more about Adams' role as chief negotiator at Ghent during the War of 1812, his storied tenure as Monroe's secretary of state, his disastrous presidential administration, or his controversial career in the House in later life, there are much better volumes to read than Nagel's. However, few biographies exceed Nagel's insight into Adams' personal life - his pettiness, self-pity, disappointment, and grief.