Presidents and Their Cabinets: John Quincy Adams
The election of 1824 is the only time for sure that the candidate with the second most electoral votes became President. Some will debate whether this happened in 1876 and in 2000, but we'll never know for sure. In 1824 we know for sure.
When President James Monroe chose Adams, the nation's most experienced diplomat, as Secretary of State in 1817, Adams became Monroe's most likely successors. The previous three presidents had all been in charge of the State Department before winning the presidency. As the 1824 election approached, Adams faced competition for the job. Speaker of the House Henry Clay, Secretary of War John C. Calhoun, and Secretary of the Treasury William H. Crawford all had presidential aspirations. Adams wanted the presidency to vindicate his father and to pursue his own ambitious domestic policy.
The Federalist Party had practically disappeared in the aftermath of the War of 1812. That meant that all of the major presidential candidates were members of the Democratic-Republican Party. As 1824 approached, a charismatic outsider emerged as a prospective presidential candidate when General Andrew Jackson jumped into the race. In previous elections, the congressional nominating caucus picked the party's presidential nominee, leaving a lot of dissatisfaction. In this election candidates were nominated by state legislatures or at state nominating conventions. Adams received the endorsement of several New England legislatures. John C. Calhoun decided not to see the presidency, seeing Jackson as too strong to defeat. Instead Calhoun decided to seek the vice presidency.
Adams was popular in New England, Clay and Jackson were strong in the West, and Jackson and Crawford competed for the South. In the 1824 presidential election, Jackson won a plurality in the Electoral College, taking 99 of the 261 electoral votes, while Adams won 84, Crawford won 41, and Clay took 37. Since no candidate won a majority of the electoral vote, the Constitution required the House of Representatives to hold a contingent election under the terms of the Twelfth Amendment. The House could decide among the top three electoral vote winners, with each state's delegation having one vote. Under these rules, Henry Clay was thus not eligible to be elected by the House. This set the stage for Adams' most controversial cabinet appointment.
Adams knew that his own victory in the contingent election would require the support of Clay. As Speaker of the House, Clay held a lot of influence. The race was really between Jackson and Adams. Crawford was in poor health, and did not have a lot of support to begin with. Clay had been outraged by Jackson's actions in Florida while a General there, and he saw Jackson as a loose cannon. Clay and Adams shared some common policy goals. Both favored high tariffs, federally-funded internal improvements, and a national bank. The two met prior to the contingent election, and Clay agreed to support Adams.
On February 9, 1825, Adams became the second president elected by the House of Representatives (after Thomas Jefferson in 1801). He won the contingent election on the first ballot, taking 13 of the 24 state delegations. Adams won the House delegations of all the states in which he or Clay had won a majority of the electoral votes, as well as the delegations of Illinois, Louisiana, and Maryland.
After the election, Jackson and many of his supporters accused Adams and Clay of reading a "Corrupt Bargain". The evidence of this, they believed, was clear when Adams picked Clay for the position of Secretary of State in return for Clay's support. Adams was sworn in as president by Chief Justice John Marshall on March 4, 1825, in a ceremony held in the House of Representatives Chamber at the United States Capitol. He took the presidential oath upon a Constitutional law book, instead of the more traditional Bible. In his inaugural address, Adams said that he would avoid party-building and politically-motivated appointments. He also proposed an elaborate program of internal improvements: roads, ports, and canals, stating that the General Welfare Clause provided for broad constitutional authority.
Adams chose to keep many of Monroe's government officials, including some of the members of Monroe's cabinet. William Wirt and Samuel L. Southard remained as Attorney General and Secretary of the Navy, respectively. John McLean also continued to hold the job of United States Postmaster General. But the appointment that drew all of the attention was when Adams chose Henry Clay as Secretary of State. This angered those who believed that Clay had offered his support in the 1824 election for the most prestigious position in the Cabinet. Both Adams and Clay would insist that no bargain had been struck between the two, but Jackson and his supporters would never believe that.
Crawford chose not to remain Secretary of the Treasury. In his place Adams appointed former ambassador Richard Rush to the position. The remaining cabinet position was that of Secretary of War, which Calhoun had vacated upon his election as vice president. To fill this post, Adams chose Senator James Barbour of Virginia.
Calhoun was opposing Adams' expansive vision for the federal government. He quickly broke with the president, and like his father, John Quincy Adams had a Vice-President who was at odds with his political agenda. In 1826, Calhoun informed Jackson that he would support him for president. Calhoun became a key opponent of Adams in the Senate.
The contentious nature of the 1824 election brought about the end of the Democratic-Republican Party. It was the beginning of a new era in American politics. Ever resentful over what he saw as "corrupt bargain" between Adams and Clay, Jackson and his supporters, including Martin Van Buren and Vice President John C. Calhoun, spent the next four years building what would become the modern Democratic Party. The followers of Adams organized themselves as the National Republican Party, but were unable to match the momentum of the Democrats under Jackson, who won the 1828 election in a landslide.
When President James Monroe chose Adams, the nation's most experienced diplomat, as Secretary of State in 1817, Adams became Monroe's most likely successors. The previous three presidents had all been in charge of the State Department before winning the presidency. As the 1824 election approached, Adams faced competition for the job. Speaker of the House Henry Clay, Secretary of War John C. Calhoun, and Secretary of the Treasury William H. Crawford all had presidential aspirations. Adams wanted the presidency to vindicate his father and to pursue his own ambitious domestic policy.
The Federalist Party had practically disappeared in the aftermath of the War of 1812. That meant that all of the major presidential candidates were members of the Democratic-Republican Party. As 1824 approached, a charismatic outsider emerged as a prospective presidential candidate when General Andrew Jackson jumped into the race. In previous elections, the congressional nominating caucus picked the party's presidential nominee, leaving a lot of dissatisfaction. In this election candidates were nominated by state legislatures or at state nominating conventions. Adams received the endorsement of several New England legislatures. John C. Calhoun decided not to see the presidency, seeing Jackson as too strong to defeat. Instead Calhoun decided to seek the vice presidency.
Adams was popular in New England, Clay and Jackson were strong in the West, and Jackson and Crawford competed for the South. In the 1824 presidential election, Jackson won a plurality in the Electoral College, taking 99 of the 261 electoral votes, while Adams won 84, Crawford won 41, and Clay took 37. Since no candidate won a majority of the electoral vote, the Constitution required the House of Representatives to hold a contingent election under the terms of the Twelfth Amendment. The House could decide among the top three electoral vote winners, with each state's delegation having one vote. Under these rules, Henry Clay was thus not eligible to be elected by the House. This set the stage for Adams' most controversial cabinet appointment.
Adams knew that his own victory in the contingent election would require the support of Clay. As Speaker of the House, Clay held a lot of influence. The race was really between Jackson and Adams. Crawford was in poor health, and did not have a lot of support to begin with. Clay had been outraged by Jackson's actions in Florida while a General there, and he saw Jackson as a loose cannon. Clay and Adams shared some common policy goals. Both favored high tariffs, federally-funded internal improvements, and a national bank. The two met prior to the contingent election, and Clay agreed to support Adams.
On February 9, 1825, Adams became the second president elected by the House of Representatives (after Thomas Jefferson in 1801). He won the contingent election on the first ballot, taking 13 of the 24 state delegations. Adams won the House delegations of all the states in which he or Clay had won a majority of the electoral votes, as well as the delegations of Illinois, Louisiana, and Maryland.
After the election, Jackson and many of his supporters accused Adams and Clay of reading a "Corrupt Bargain". The evidence of this, they believed, was clear when Adams picked Clay for the position of Secretary of State in return for Clay's support. Adams was sworn in as president by Chief Justice John Marshall on March 4, 1825, in a ceremony held in the House of Representatives Chamber at the United States Capitol. He took the presidential oath upon a Constitutional law book, instead of the more traditional Bible. In his inaugural address, Adams said that he would avoid party-building and politically-motivated appointments. He also proposed an elaborate program of internal improvements: roads, ports, and canals, stating that the General Welfare Clause provided for broad constitutional authority.
Adams chose to keep many of Monroe's government officials, including some of the members of Monroe's cabinet. William Wirt and Samuel L. Southard remained as Attorney General and Secretary of the Navy, respectively. John McLean also continued to hold the job of United States Postmaster General. But the appointment that drew all of the attention was when Adams chose Henry Clay as Secretary of State. This angered those who believed that Clay had offered his support in the 1824 election for the most prestigious position in the Cabinet. Both Adams and Clay would insist that no bargain had been struck between the two, but Jackson and his supporters would never believe that.
Crawford chose not to remain Secretary of the Treasury. In his place Adams appointed former ambassador Richard Rush to the position. The remaining cabinet position was that of Secretary of War, which Calhoun had vacated upon his election as vice president. To fill this post, Adams chose Senator James Barbour of Virginia.
Calhoun was opposing Adams' expansive vision for the federal government. He quickly broke with the president, and like his father, John Quincy Adams had a Vice-President who was at odds with his political agenda. In 1826, Calhoun informed Jackson that he would support him for president. Calhoun became a key opponent of Adams in the Senate.
The contentious nature of the 1824 election brought about the end of the Democratic-Republican Party. It was the beginning of a new era in American politics. Ever resentful over what he saw as "corrupt bargain" between Adams and Clay, Jackson and his supporters, including Martin Van Buren and Vice President John C. Calhoun, spent the next four years building what would become the modern Democratic Party. The followers of Adams organized themselves as the National Republican Party, but were unable to match the momentum of the Democrats under Jackson, who won the 1828 election in a landslide.