George Washington Adams
Portrait byCharles Bird Kingc. 1820
Member of theBoston Common Council from Ward 7
In office 1828
Member of theMassachusetts House of Representatives
In office 1826–1827
Personal details
Born	(1801-04-12)April 12, 1801 Berlin,Brandenburg,Prussia,Holy Roman Empire
Died	April 30, 1829(1829-04-30) (aged 28) Long Island Sound, U.S.
Cause of death	Suicide
Children	1
Parents	John Quincy Adams Louisa Johnson
Relatives	Adams political family
Education	Harvard University

George Washington Adams (April 12, 1801 – April 30, 1829) was a German-born American attorney and politician. He was the eldest son of U.S. presidentJohn Quincy Adams, the sixthPresident of the United States, and a grandson ofJohn Adams, the secondPresident of the United States. Adams served in theMassachusetts House of Representatives and on theBoston Common Council. He is believed to have died bysuicide at age 28.

George Washington Adams was born inBerlin, the capital of theKingdom of Prussia, on April 12, 1801. He was a member of the distinguishedAdams political family. Adams was the eldest son ofJohn Quincy Adams, the sixthpresident of the United States, who was then serving as a diplomatic representative of the United States, and his English-born wifeLouisa Catherine Adams.^[1][2] He was named for the first president,George Washington. His paternal grandfatherJohn Adams was the firstvice president of the United States and also the second president. He was born a month after his grandfather left office.^[3]

Adams's paternal grandmother, First LadyAbigail Adams, was unhappy with the decision of her son to name the child after Washington and not after her husband. She thought the decision "ill judged" and "wrong," adding that John Adams also seemed offended.^[4] John Quincy Adams's second sonJohn Adams II (1803–1834) was named after his grandfather.

Adams graduated fromHarvard University in the Class of 1821 and studied law. After briefly practicing as an attorney, he ran for state office. He was elected to theMassachusetts House of Representatives in 1826 and served one year. In 1828, Adams served on theBoston Common Council, being elected from ward 7.^[5] He delivered an Independence Day speech, "An Oration delivered at Quincy, on the Fifth of July, 1824", which was later published as a pamphlet.^[6]

Adams disappeared on April 30, 1829, while on board the steamshipBenjamin Franklin inLong Island Sound during passage from Boston to Washington, D.C. He was last seen at about 2 A.M., and his hat and cloak were found on deck, leading to the conclusion that he had intentionally jumped.^[7] His body washed ashore on June 10.^[8][9] An alcoholic,^[10] Adams had left notes hinting that he intended to kill himself;^[11] he had appeared to be delusional while on the ship, asking the captain to return to shore and declaring that the other passengers were conspiring against him.^[12] The consensus in news accounts of the time and among historians subsequently is that he died by suicide by drowning after he jumped from theBenjamin Franklin.^[8][13][14]

Adams and his brothersCharles andJohn were all rivals for the same woman, their cousin Mary Catherine Hellen, who lived with the John Quincy Adams family after the death of her parents. In 1828, John Adams II married Mary Hellen at a ceremony in theWhite House, and both his brothers refused to attend.^[15]

Adams fathered an out-of-wedlock child^[16] with a mistress, Eliza Dolph.^[10] Dolph was the chambermaid to Dr. Thomas Welsh, the Adams family's Boston doctor. She had a child in December 1828 and was moved to another location so Adams could visit her and the baby in secrecy.^[17] The child never had a recorded first name and a letter mentions "Eliza Dolph has gained her health and lost her child," suggesting the child died in infancy.^[18]

• McCullough, David (2001).John Adams. New York: Simon & Schuster. p. 144.ISBN 978-1-4165-7588-7.

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