John Adams

At a Glance

2nd President of the United States (1797-1801)

Born: October 30, 1735, North Precinct of Braintree (now Quincy), Massachusetts

Nickname: "Atlas of Independence"

Education: Harvard College (graduated 1755)

Religion: Unitarian

Career: Lawyer

Marriage: October 25, 1764, to Abigail Smith (1744-1818)

Children: Abigail Amelia (1765-1813), John Quincy (1767-1848), Susanna (1768-1770), Charles (1770-1800), Thomas Boylston (1772-1832)

Political Party: Federalist

Writings: The Works of John Adams, The Adams-Jefferson Letters, Diary and Autobiography, The Papers of John Adams, The Political Writings of John Adams

Died: July 4, 1826, in Quincy, Massachusetts

Buried: Quincy, Massachusetts

A Life in Brief: Before becoming President in 1797, John Adams built his reputation as a blunt-speaking man of independent mind. A fervent patriot and brilliant intellectual, Adams served as a delegate from Massachusetts to the Continental Congress between 1774 and 1777, as a diplomat in Europe from 1778 to 1788, and as vice president during the Washington administration

George Washington

At a Glance

Term: 1st President of the United States (1789-1797)

Born: February 22, 1732, Pope's Creek, Virginia

Nickname: "Father of His Country"

Education: The equivalent of an elementary school education

Religion: Episcopalian

Marriage: January 6, 1759, to Martha Dandridge Custis (1731-1802)

Children: None

Career: Soldier, Planter

Political Party: Federalist

Died: December 14, 1799, Mount Vernon, Virginia

Buried: Family vault, Mount Vernon, Virginia

A Life in Brief: George Washington was born into a mildly prosperous Virginia farming family in 1732. After his father died when George was eleven, George’s mother, Mary, a tough and driven woman, struggled to hold their home together with the help of her two sons from a previous marriage.

Thomas Jefferson

At a Glance

Term: 3rd President of the United States (1801-1809)

Born: April 13, 1743, Shadwell plantation, Goochland County, Virginia

Nickname: "Man of the People," "Sage of Monticello"

Education: College of William and Mary (graduated 1762)

Religion: No formal affiliation

Marriage: January 1, 1772, to Martha Wayles Skelton (1748-1782)

Children: Martha (1772-1836), Jane Randolph (1774-1775), infant son (1777), Mary (1778-1804), Lucy Elizabeth (1780-1781), Lucy Elizabeth (1782-1785)

Career: Lawyer, Planter

Political Party: Democratic-Republican

Writings: Writings (10 vols., 1892-99), ed. by Paul L. Ford; The Papers of Thomas Jefferson (1950- ), ed. by Julian P. Boyd; Notes on the State of Virginia 1781 (1955), ed. by William Peden; Autobiography (1959), ed. by Dumas Malone

Died: July 4, 1826, Monticello, near Charlottesville, Virginia

Buried: Monticello, near Charlottesville, Virginia

A Life in Brief:Thomas Jefferson, the author of the Declaration of Independence, spent his childhood roaming the woods and studying his books on a remote plantation in the Virginia Piedmont. Thanks to the prosperity of his father, Jefferson had an excellent education. After years in boarding school, where he excelled in classical languages, Jefferson enrolled in William and Mary College in his home state of Virginia, taking classes in science, mathematics, rhetoric, philosophy, and literature.

James Madison

At a Glance

Term: 4th President of the United States (1809-1817)

Born: March 16, 1751, Port Conway, Virginia

Nickname: "Father of the Constitution"

Education: College of New Jersey (now Princeton University, graduated 1771)

Religion: Episcopalian

Marriage: September 15, 1794, to Dolley Payne Todd (1768-1849)

Children: None

Career: Lawyer

Political Party: Democratic-Republican

Writings: Writings (9 vols., 1900-1910), ed. by Gaillard Hunt; The Papers of James Madison (1962- ), ed. by W. T. Hutchinson, R. A. Rutland, et al.

Died: June 28, 1836, Montpelier, Orange County, Virginia

Buried: Montpelier, Virginia (family plot)

A Life in Brief: Like his close friend Thomas Jefferson, James Madison came from a prosperous family of Virginia planters, received an excellent education, and quickly found himself drawn into the debates over independence. In 1776, he became a delegate to the revolutionary Virginia Convention, where he worked closely with Thomas Jefferson to push through religious freedom statutes, among other liberal measures.