The Legal Career Of John Quincy Adams

The article will discuss Adams's legal education, his early legal practice, his reasons for declining an appointment to the Supreme Court, and his role as counsel in various cases decided by Supreme Court. Adams's legal education provides insight into the nature of legal training in late eighteenth century America and the legal profession during the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. Finally, Adams's career at the Bar provides a means of evaluating various theses that have been advanced concerning the influence of legal training on the performance of presidents in office.