Abigail Smith Adams; 1797-1801

Born: 1744
Died: 1818

Abigail Smith and John Adams had much in common. Both were New Englanders steeped in the Puritan ethic, with strong political views. Abigail came from a respected Massachusetts family, her father a Congregational minister, her grandfather a judge. Since formal education was reserved for men, Abigail went to her family's library to study government and philosophy -- interests she shared with young lawyer John Adams. The two wed in 1764 when John was 29 and Abigail 20. Devoted partners for 54 years, they had five children, including future President John Quincy Adams.

The revolutionary cause often separated John from his family. While he served in the Continental Congress in Philadelphia, and later in diplomatic posts abroad, Abigail raised the children and ran their Quincy, Massachusetts farm, at one point not seeing John for over four years. But the two kept up a vivid correspondence, with Abigail advocating the abolition of slavery and equal rights for women. In 1784 Abigail joined her husband in Europe, returning to America when he became Vice President. Though she liked and admired Martha Washington, Abigail steered a different course when she became First Lady. She freely expressed her political views, prompting critics to call her "Mrs. President." But she was also an able hostess, and enjoyed entertaining in the new, albeit unfinished, White House.

Second President
John Adams