America's First Dynasty: The Adamses, 1735–1918

While this is not his first book, nor his first biography of important American politicians, it is decidedly written differently. In a New Englander matter-of-fact tone, with a smattering of don't-take-my-word-for-it and a texture of this-is-the-way-it-was, Mr. Brookhiser writes with an authority from a standpoint of emotional detachment.

Perhaps, realizing Richard Brookhiser was the editor of a premier conservative magazine, he remained arm's length away from the antithesis of the contemporary Bush Dynasty. Brookhiser pulled countless punches; authoring a book that fellow conservatives might label "benign" and liberals would undoubtedly attach as biased.

Rather than a prosy, pseudo-novel styled biography, Brookhiser remains clinical in show more his approach and spares the reader from delving into unauthorized biography muckraking. For instance he writes: "John Randolph, his power long lost to opium, alcohol, and irresponsibility, but his tongue still bright and gleaming, attacked [Henry] Clay with sparkling malice.... The secretary of state [Clay] challenged him [Randolph] to a duel. Both men missed twice and shook hands." (pg 94) While literarily elegant, he refrains from unnecessary elaboration.

As the perennial disagreement goes, the party name at the genesis of the Democrat Party can be a plethora of monikers; however Brookhiser insists on calling it the Republican Party [First Generation], opting to forgo a more clear delineation between the modern Republican Party and that of the Anti-Federalists. I merely mention this aspect of the book to illustrate his non-partisanship and sticking to historical facts, rather than retooling four Adamses lives to disparage a party.

Incorporating four men's biographies into one work, not a lot of depth is expected. But delightfully, the quartet of men spanning generations from pre-Revolutionary War to the start of World War I is surprisingly comprehensive. I especially enjoyed the sections on the lesser known Adamses, Charles Francis and Henry. show less

America's First Dynasty takes a different approach to the lives of the Founders than that used by Brookhiser in his biographies of Washington, Hamilton, Madison and Gouveneur Morris. Most obviously it covers the lives of four generations of the Adams family from the birth of John Adams in 1735 through the death of Henry Adams in 1918 while World War I was still being fought. The scope of the book consists of brief biographies of John Adams, John Quincy Adams, Charles Francis Adams and lastly Henry Adams.

In a sense Brookhiser is documenting the birth, development and gradual decline in the political prominence of the Adams dynasty from the founder who led the fight in Congress to declare independence, and who served in a diplomatic show more capacity on behalf of the new republic in France, the Netherlands and England. Adams was Washington's Vice-President for both terms, won the election of 1796 and became the first incumbent to lose the Presidency.

His son, John Quincy Adams, served as a diplomat in Holland, Prussia and Russia, was elected President in 1824 and like his father was defeated as an incumbent when he lost to Andrew Jackson in 1828. He served in the House of Representatives elected as a Federalist from Massachusetts but by 1808 he had defected to the Republicans having been alienated by Federalist leadership's increasing secessionist bent. He became associated with what came to be known as National Republicanism and in the aftermath of the election and reelection of Jackson became a "Conscience" Whig as opposed to "Cotton" Whig, the term Conscience Whig indicating an unwillingness to accommodate the institution of slavery.

John Quincy's son Charles Francis Adams is less well know than his immediate antecedents, but played an important role as Ambassador to Great Britain during the American Civil War and was instrumental in keeping the British from allying herself to the Confederacy. He accompanied his father to Russia at the tender age of two during John Quincy's service as ambassador. Having managed to finish his undergraduate degree at Harvard mainly at the insistence of his father, Adams married and undertook the study of law. He supported Martin VanBuren during his first run at the Presidency buit grew disillusioned over VanBuren's accommodation of the slave states. Adams ran for the Massachusetts House of Representatives as a Whig and served three years in the House and two more in the state Senate. In 1843 he presented a petition to the Massachusetts House with 63,000 signatures asking that the state decline to assist in the return of fugitive slaves. Charles also opposed the annexation of Texas alleging that it was a pretext for the expansion of slavery. He left the legislature in 1845 and founded a newspaper, The Daily Whig, dedicated to boosting the anti-slavery cause within the Whig Party. Also, in the mid-1840's he rejected an overture to run for office from the Native American Party.

In 1848 he was selected as VanBuren's running mate for the presidential ticket of the Free Soil Party an amalgam of the anti-slavery Liberty party, the Conscience Whigs and a faction of the New York Democratic party called the Barnburners who were opposed to the expansion of slavery. They received only 10% if the popular vote and failed to carry a state but they finished second in New York pushing the Democrats down to third place thereby helping Zachary Taylor to carry the state and win the election for the Whigs. Ten years later the Whigs had been eclipsed by a new political party, the Republicans, and Charles Francis was elected to Congress from Massachusetts as a candidate of the new party.

Following Lincoln's inauguration in 1861 Adams was appointed minister to England at the urging of William Seward , thus becoming the third member of the Adams family to serve in that capacity. Adams was a prospective candidate for the Republican presidential nomination in 1876 following Grant's second term. But he was rejected in favor of Horace Greeley and devoted himself to publishing a twelve volume edition of John Quincy Adams's diaries.

Charles's son, Henry Adams, made a career as a journalist, novelist, historian and auto-biographer. He is probably best remembered for "The Education of Henry Adams", "Democracy", a novel that holds the politics and politicians of Washington, DC up to an unflattering light, his highly regarded 'Mont Saint Michel and Chartres" and his history of the United States covering the administrations of Jefferson and Madison.

Henry determined to create a chronicle of the events of his time, that is the descent of the United States into Civil War following the election of Lincoln. He wrote articles for the Boston Daily Advertiser and generated more candid quotes in a series of letters to his brother Charles Francis . Brookhiser provides this sample excerpt: "President [Buchanan] divides his time between crying and praying; the Cabinet has resigned or else is occupied in committing treason. Some of them have done both.". Buchanan comes off pretty good in comparison with Adams's assessment of Stephen A. Douglas - "...a brute...gross, vulgar, demagogic; a drunkard; ruined as a politician; ruined as a private man; over head and ears...in debt; with no mental or literary resources; without a future; with a past worse than none at all....On the whole I'd rather not be Mrs. Douglas".

In 1861 Henry accompanied his father to London acting as his private secretary, a role he had just filled during his father's congressional term. Henry returned to the States and moved to Washington in 1868 resuming his journalism career. Eventually he was hired by Harvard to teach medieval history, a subject in which he professed no knowledge at all, and also to edit the North American Review, the most prestigious intellectual journal in America.

Following the war Henry took up residence in Washington, D.C. in a home on Lafayette Square. He became close friends with John Hay, formerly Lincoln's secretary who eventually became Secretary of State. He was in and out of politics in the period commencing with Grant's presidency through the assassination of McKinley, although his participation was always from outside as an influencer, most notably as a supporter of Cuban independence. He traveled widely in Europe and the US following the suicide of his wife Marian in 1885. He was booked aboard the Titanic in 1912 but switched to another ship.

Whether they were motivated by noblesse oblige, a sense of public obligation, the Puritan drive to demonstrate their inclusion among the elect, or the ancient goal of achieving everlasting fame, if not glory, these members of the Adams dynasty were all gifted, remarkable servants of the public weal according to their best lights. Brookhiser does justice to their virtues and vices and as always writes with a graceful style that is a pleasure to read. show less

Richard Brookhiser has written biographies of Presidents Madison and Washington, revolutionary statesmen Hamilton and Gouvernor Morris, and most recently a book on Lincoln, but my favorite of his biographies that I have read is America's First Dynasty: The Adamses, 1735-1918. The dates alone, spanning three centuries, suggest the significance of this family on the history of the United States.

The first two of the dynasty, John and his son John Quincy both became President. The father was one of the leaders of the American Revolution while the son was both President and, later, member of the House of Representatives from Massachusetts. John's grandson Charles Francis also had a brilliant political career that included a term as Minister show more to England in the Lincoln Administration. The fourth Adams of this dynasty, John's great grandson Henry Adams, found his greatness in literature both as an academic historian and with the publication of his autobiography, The Education of Henry Adams, a classic that is read to this day.

Their story begins with John Adams, a self-taught lawyer who rode horseback to meet clients, and ends with Henry Adams in France as World War I begins and he returns to Washington, D. C. This is a well told overview of a family dynasty that more than any other helped make the United States the great nation it is today. show less

An excellent discussion of the Adams generations.

Interesting

There are a number of books on "dynasty" first familes. Nagel has written more on the Adams family in Adams Women and Descent from Glory. There are an increasing number of books on the Bushes, not all flattering.