Name Charles Adams Parents Abigail Adams, John Adams | ||
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Born May 29, 1770 Quincy, Massachusetts Died November 30, 1800, Quincy, Massachusetts, United States Spouse Sarah Smith Adams (m. 1795–1800) Siblings John Quincy Adams, Thomas Boylston Adams, Abigail Adams Smith, Susanna Adams, Elizabeth Adams Grandparents Susanna Boylston, John Adams, Sr., Elizabeth Quincy Smith, William Smith Similar People John Adams, Thomas Boylston Adams, John Quincy Adams, Abigail Adams, Susanna Boylston | ||
Charles Adams (May 29, 1770 – November 30, 1800) was the second son of President John Adams and his wife, Abigail (Smith) Adams. After struggling with alcoholism for many years, he died of cirrhosis of the liver on November 30, 1800.
At the age of nine, he traveled with his father and older brother John Quincy to Europe, studied briefly in Passy, Amsterdam, and Leiden. He matriculated in Leiden January 29, 1781.
In December 1781, Charles returned to America unaccompanied by family members. After graduating from Harvard University in 1789, he moved to New York City, where plans had been made for him to work in the legal office of Alexander Hamilton. Shortly after, however, Hamilton was named secretary of the treasury and Adams was forced to find a different mentor.
On August 29, 1795, Adams married Sally Smith (1769–1828), the sister of his brother-in-law, William Stephens Smith. They had two daughters, Susanna Boylston (1796–1884) and Abigail Louisa Smith (1798–1836). Abigail married the banker and philosopher Alexander Bryan Johnson; their son Alexander Smith Johnson would become a judge. At the age of 37, Abigail Louisa died of uterine cancer.
Depictions in popular culture
In 2008, HBO presented the miniseries entitled John Adams based on the book by David McCullough. This biographical presentation represents Charles Adams (played by Irish actor Kevin Trainor) as a drunken, irresponsible man with weak character who brings disgrace to his family and is disowned by his father, President John Adams. However, the series also depicts President Adams's actions as a possible influence on Charles's development; he was a frequently absent father whose political life separated him from his family for extended periods, and he did not approve of Charles's choices as an adult. Historians, however, have pointed out the inaccuracies of the series' representation of their relationship.