John Adams

Directory: Massachusetts Political Directory

Elected Public Offices

Member, Massachusetts House of Representatives

Service: 1770–1771 ^{1, 2, 3, 4}

Delegate, First Continental Congress

Service: 1774 ^{3, 5}

Delegate, Second Continental Congress

Service: 1775–1777 ^{3, 5}

Delegate, Massachusetts Constitutional Convention

Service: 1779 ⁵

Vice President of the United States

Service: 1789–1797 ^{3, 6, 7}

President of the United States

Service: March 4th, 1797–March 4th, 1801 ^{8, 3}

Delegate, Massachusetts Constitutional Convention

Service: 1820 ³

Related Office Page: President of the United States

Official Resources

• Massachusetts House of Representatives — John Adams’s colonial House service preceded the Commonwealth’s 1780 Constitution. ^{9, 10, 1}
• United States Senate — John Adams presided over the Senate as Vice President and President of the Senate. ^{11, 12, 6}

Sources and Verification

Last Reviewed: October 19th, 2026

Image Credit: Gilbert Stuart; National Gallery of Art, Gift of Mrs. Robert Homans, Accession 1954.7.1; Artwork Dated C. 1800/1815 by the National Gallery of Art; Not a Verified Sitting Date

Image Context: The National Gallery of Art dates Gilbert Stuart’s portrait of John Adams to circa 1800/1815.

Image Source

• Member, Massachusetts House of Representatives: The Adams Papers dates his Boston House election to June 1770 and places service in 1770–1771. The House biography lists a conflicting 1768 election year; John Adams’s exact personal service boundaries remain unverified.
• President of the United States: John Adams’s presidency ended at the March 4th, 1801 transition boundary; the House biography describes his term through March 3rd.

1. Papers of John Adams, Volume 1 — Introduction

Massachusetts Historical Society, Adams Papers Digital Edition — An Overview of the General Correspondence and Other Papers of John Adams, Page xxii; Election to the House in 1770

2. Papers of John Adams, Volume 1 — Descriptive List of Illustrations

Massachusetts Historical Society, Adams Papers Digital Edition — A Westerly View of the Colledges in Cambridge New England; Holden Chapel Caption, Page xiv

3. Adams, John

U.S. House of Representatives, Office of the Historian and Office of Art & Archives — Concise Biography

4. Legal Papers of John Adams, Volume 1 — Introduction

Massachusetts Historical Society, Adams Papers Digital Edition — Introduction, Political-Service Narrative and Footnote 200; Boston House Election in June 1770

5. John Adams Biography

National Park Service, Adams National Historical Park — Biography Paragraphs 31-39

6. About the Vice President: Vice Presidents of the United States

U.S. Senate — Vice Presidents Table, John Adams Row

7. John Adams' Senate Farewell

U.S. Senate Historical Office — Opening Narrative and Final Paragraph

8. US Presidents in the Census Records

U.S. National Archives and Records Administration — President / Dates in Office Table, John Adams Row

9. House of Representatives

Massachusetts General Court — About the House of Representatives

10. Constitution of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts

The General Court of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts — Part II, Chapter I, Section I, Article I; Original Provisions of Chapter II Concerning Governor and Lieutenant Governor

11. About the Senate

U.S. Senate — Official Senate About Page

12. President of the Senate

Congress.gov / Library of Congress, Constitution Annotated — Article I, Section 3, Clause 4