- John Adams served as the second president of the US.
- His daily routine varied a bit over the years.
- That’s understandable given that, before he rose to the presidency, Adams worked as a lawyer, colonial delegate, commissioner to France, and vice president.
- Generally, though, Adams liked to make time in his daily life for long walks and lots of letter-writing.
John Adams had quite a career.
After graduating from Harvard in 1755, he worked as a schoolmaster in Worcester, Massachusetts. The role wasn’t a great fit.
From there, Adams began studying law and was admitted to the bar in 1758. Over the years, Adams would become a legal powerhouse in New England.
He was also an early rebel against the Crown, writing essays criticizing measures like the Stamp Act and helping to prod the colonies into war with England.
Adams would become a crucial member of the Continental Congress. He helped draft the Declaration of Independence. He also teamed up with Benjamin Franklin to work as a diplomat in France.
After the war, Adams became the first-ever US vice president. In 1796, he was elected the second president of the new United States.
So what did this very busy Massachusettsan get up to all day?
David McCullough's "John Adams" includes plenty of details on what an average day looked like for this Founding Father.
Here's a breakdown of a day in the life of John Adams:
Adams usually rose before dawn, beginning his day as early as 5 a.m.
Source: "John Adams"
As President, Adams typically ate breakfast at 8 a.m.
Source: "John Adams"
As a student at Harvard, Adams picked up one peculiar habit — drinking a morning "gill" of hard cider. He later wrote that he would "... never forget how refreshing and salubrious" he found the beverage in college.
Source: "John Adams"
Adams would only drop his morning cider habit when he was in Philadelphia. The reason? He loved Philly brews. "I drink no cider, but feast on Philadelphia beer," he wrote in a letter to his wife, Abigail Adams.
Source: "John Adams"
The Adamses typically ate dinner together around 3 p.m.
Source: "John Adams"
During Adams' presidency, Abigail made certain that the President's House was stocked with his "favorite New England cheese, bacon, white potatoes, and cider," writes McCullough.
Source: "John Adams"
While serving as a commissioner to France during the Revolutionary War in 1778, Adams had a slightly altered daily routine. During this time, he resided with Benjamin Franklin in a chateau outside Paris.
Source: The Library of America
Adams was disappointed to discover that his colleague did not live by his own, famous mantra of "early to bed, early to rise." Franklin woke late and "often napped" after his midday dinner. He also barely spoke French, according to McCullough.
Source: "John Adams"
Every morning after breakfast, Adams walked five or six miles through the Bois de Boulogne in Paris. He'd bring along his eldest son, John Quincy Adams, who traveled with him to France.
Source: "John Adams"
Those long walks in France would rub off on future US President John Quincy Adams. Throughout his life, the younger Adams would exercise in the morning by strolling about Washington D.C., or by skinny-dipping in the Potomac.
Source: Business Insider
The elder Adams took his walking habit everywhere he went. "Move or die is the language of our Maker in the constitution of our bodies," he wrote in a letter to his son Charles. During his retirement, Adams would go on long walks with his friend, clock maker Richard Cranch.
Source: "John Adams"
When he wasn't strolling or working, Adams could unwind in his personal library of 3,500 books.
Source: John Adams Library
When John Quincy was a teenager, Adams would also help with his academic development. They would sometimes study together until 9 p.m.
Source: "John Adams"
Abigail Adams wrote that, once their studies concluded, the rest of the family was "often called upon to relieve their brains by a game of whist," according to McCullough.
Source: "John Adams"
Adams usually retired around 10 p.m.
Source: "John Adams"
Adams also kept up a substantial correspondence throughout his life. Years after their friendship soured due to the Election of 1800, Adams began writing to Thomas Jefferson again in 1812. They exchanged numerous letters until they both died within hours of one another on July 4, 1826.
Source: "John Adams," "The Adams-Jefferson Letters: The Complete Correspondence Between Thomas Jefferson and Abigail and John Adams"
Adams and Abigail were often apart while he traveled for work, and they wrote many love letters. Adams referred to her as "Miss Adorable" and "Diana," after the Roman goddess of the hunt and the moon. She called him Lysander — referencing the Spartan War hero — and "my dearest friend."
Source: "John Adams," NPR, The New York Times
Abigail remained Adams' closest companion and adviser until her death of typhoid fever in 1818. Her last words were, "Do not grieve, my friend, my de,arest friend. I am ready to go. And John, it will not be long." Adams died eight years later.
