Colonel John Quincy (July 21, 1689 – July 13, 1767) was an American

soldier A soldier is a person who is a member of an army. A soldier can be a conscripted or volunteer enlisted person, a non-commissioned officer, or an officer. Etymology The word ''soldier'' derives from the Middle English word , from Old French ...

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, a ...

and member of the

Quincy political family The Quincy family was a prominent political family in Massachusetts from the mid-17th century through to the early 20th century. It is connected to the Adams political family through Abigail Adams. The family estate was in Mount Wollaston, firs ...

. His granddaughter

Abigail Adams Abigail Adams ( ''née'' Smith; November 22, [ O.S. November 11] 1744 – October 28, 1818) was the wife and closest advisor of John Adams, as well as the mother of John Quincy Adams. She was a founder of the United States, an ...

named her son, the future

president President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...

John Quincy Adams John Quincy Adams (; July 11, 1767 – February 23, 1848) was an American statesman, diplomat, lawyer, and diarist who served as the sixth president of the United States, from 1825 to 1829. He previously served as the eighth United States S ...

, after him. Two days after his great-grandson's birth, Quincy died. The city of

Quincy, Massachusetts Quincy ( ) is a coastal U.S. city in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. It is the largest city in the county and a part of Greater Boston, Metropolitan Boston as one of Boston's immediate southern suburbs. Its population in 2020 was 1 ...

, is named after him.

Early life

John Quincy was born in

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

Daniel Quincy Daniel Quincy (16511690), trained as a silversmith under John Hull, his uncle by marriage (Judith Quincy Hull). Daniel lived with John and Judith Hull from the age of seven and was trained in the Hull and Sanderson mint on Summer Street (Bosto ...

(1651–1690) and Anna Shepard (1663–1708). Shortly after his birth, the family moved to

Braintree, Massachusetts Braintree (), officially the Town of Braintree, is a municipality in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. Although officially known as a towBraintree is a city, with a mayor-council government, mayor-council form of government, and i ...

, and established a homestead at

Mount Wollaston Quincy ( ) is a coastal U.S. city in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. It is the largest city in the county and a part of Metropolitan Boston as one of Boston's immediate southern suburbs. Its population in 2020 was 101,636, making ...

, or Merry Mount, in what is present-day Quincy. Daniel died when John was one year old; his mother subsequently married the Reverend Moses Fiske. Quincy attended

Harvard College Harvard College is the undergraduate college of Harvard University, an Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636, Harvard College is the original school of Harvard University, the oldest institution of higher lea ...

, graduating in 1708. John Quincy's paternal grandparents were Edmund Quincy II (1628-1698) and his first wife, Joanna Hoare Quincy. Edmund Quincy II built the

Dorothy Quincy House The Dorothy Quincy Homestead is a US National Historic Landmark at 34 Butler Road in Quincy, Massachusetts. The house was originally built by Edmund Quincy II in 1686 who had an extensive property upon which there were multiple buildings. Today ...

(1685). His paternal great grandfather's father was Edmund Quincy (1602-1636), known as "the Puritan", was an early settler of the

Massachusetts Bay Colony The Massachusetts Bay Colony (1630–1691), more formally the Colony of Massachusetts Bay, was an English settlement on the east coast of North America around the Massachusetts Bay, the northernmost of the several colonies later reorganized as the ...

. On the origins of his name, John Quincy Adams writes the Rev. George W. Blagden, Quincy inherited Mt. Wollaston, an estate purchased by his great-grandfather, Captain William Tyng, one of Boston's wealthiest merchants, who had acquired the property and other lands from

William Coddington William Coddington (c. 1601 – 1 November 1678) was an early magistrate of the Massachusetts Bay Colony and later of the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations. He served as the judge of Portsmouth and Newport, governor of Portsmouth ...

(1601–1678), who was in exile.

Career

In 1717, he was elected to represent Braintree at the

Massachusetts General Court The Massachusetts General Court (formally styled the General Court of Massachusetts) is the state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The name "General Court" is a hold-over from the earliest days of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, ...

, was re-elected in 1719, and served in that capacity until 1740. From 1729 to 1741, he served as the

Speaker of the House The speaker of a deliberative assembly, especially a legislative body, is its presiding officer, or the chair. The title was first used in 1377 in England. Usage The title was first recorded in 1377 to describe the role of Thomas de Hungerf ...

. In 1741, Quincy was voted out of office, but was returned there in 1744, where he served four additional years.

Personal life

On September 3, 1715, he married Elizabeth Norton (1696–1769), daughter of the Reverend

John Norton (divine) John Norton (May 6, 1606 – April 5, 1663) was a Puritan divine in England and Massachusetts. Career Norton was born at Bishop's Stortford, Hertfordshire, England. He was educated at Peterhouse, Cambridge (BA 1627), and ordained in his native ...

of Hingham. Although officially only achieving the rank of

major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...

in the

colonial militia Colonial troops or colonial army refers to various military units recruited from, or used as garrison troops in, colonial territories. Colonial background Such colonies may lie overseas or in areas dominated by neighbouring land powers such ...

, he was commonly referred to as "Colonel". Together they had four children: *Norton Quincy (1716–1801), who married Martha Salisbury (1727–1748) *Anna Quincy (1719–1799), married John Thaxter (1721–1802) *Elizabeth Quincy (1721–1775), who married William Smith (1707-1783). *Lucy Quincy (1729–1785), married

Cotton Tufts Cotton Tufts (30 May 1734 in Medford, Province of Massachusetts – 8 December 1815 in Weymouth, Massachusetts) was a Massachusetts physician. He was a cousin of Abigail Adams. Biography He was the grandson of Peter Tufts, who emigrated to Mas ...

(1732–1815) He died on 13 July 1767 at the age of 77, only two days after the birth of his namesake, John Quincy Adams, and one month before the duty on tea had been imposed by Act of Parliament of June 14, 1767. He also died a week before his 78th birthday.

Descendants

The Colonel was Elizabeth Quincy Smith's father and grandfather of Abigail Smith Adams (1744–1818). Abigail Smith Adams was first

Second Lady of the United States The second gentleman or second lady of the United States (SGOTUS or SLOTUS respectively) is the informal title held by the spouse of the vice president of the United States, concurrent with the vice president's term of office. Coined in contrast ...

and second

First Lady of the United States The first lady of the United States (FLOTUS) is the title held by the hostess of the White House, usually the wife of the president of the United States, concurrent with the president's term in office. Although the first lady's role has never ...

being married to

John Adams John Adams (October 30, 1735 – July 4, 1826) was an American statesman, attorney, diplomat, writer, and Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father who served as the second president of the United States from 1797 to 1801. Befor ...

(1767–1848), her son, was 6th President of the United States, serving from 1825 to 1829. He also served as a diplomat, a

Senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

and member of the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the Lower house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...

Honors

The city of

, is named after him.

References

;Notes ;Sources *Wilson, Daniel Munro, and Charles Francis Adams. ''John Quincy, Master of Mount Wollaston''. Boston: George H. Ellis Company, 1909. 1689 births 1767 deaths American slave owners British America army officers Harvard College alumni Members of the colonial Massachusetts House of Representatives People from Braintree, Massachusetts People from colonial Boston Quincy family {{Massachusetts-MARepresentative-stub