John Adams"His Rotundity"

Born October 30, 1735, in Braintree (now Quincy), Massachusetts. A Harvard-educated lawyer, he first gained prominence for his principled (if unpopular) decision to defend British soldiers charged in the Boston Massacre, believing everyone deserved a fair trial. He became a leading voice for independence in the Continental Congress, nominated George Washington to lead the Continental Army, and was one of the key figures pushing for and helping draft the Declaration of Independence in 1776, though Jefferson wrote most of the actual text. He served as a diplomat in Europe during the Revolutionary War, helping negotiate the Treaty of Paris that ended it, and later became the first U.S. Minister to Great Britain. He was elected the first Vice President under George Washington and then became the 2nd President of the United States in 1796, a single term marked by tensions with France (the "Quasi-War") and the controversial Alien and Sedition Acts. He was the father of John Quincy Adams, the 6th president.