When was louisa catherine adams born

Petersburg to Paris in early , crossing a war-torn Europe with only a few servants and her seven-year-old son, Charles. Adams herself. Just as they were beginning to enjoy their freedom, however, came the tragic news that their son George had gone overboard on the steamboat from Providence to New York, in an apparent suicide.

Though her husband went on to serve in the House of Representatives for 17 years after his presidency, Louisa did not return to the active role she once played in his career. Instead, she focused largely on her family and her writing, penning a more complete account of her daring St. With these books, her letters and other writings, Louisa Catherine Adams left behind a record of an extraordinary life, unlike that of any other woman of her time.

When she died in , three years after her husband collapsed on the floor of the House, both houses of Congress adjourned on the day of her funeral. But if you see something that doesn't look right, click here to contact us! Twice a week we compile our most fascinating features and deliver them straight to you. Live TV. This Day In History. Louisa was born in London, England, in Her mother was, like her, British-born but her father was born in the colonies, and the family was staunchly supportive of the young republic, staying in France for the duration of the Revolutionary War, which officially began only weeks after Louisa's birth.

Adams , which came out this spring. Her upbringing would initially provoke the ire of the Adams clan, direct descendants of the settlers who founded the Massachusetts Bay Colony, and looked down on those who valued worldly possessions. Like Abigail and John Adams, Louisa and John Quincy engaged in an extensive correspondence throughout their relationship.

At first, Louisa was unsure what to write, and self-conscious about her words, but she grew into her voice. Throughout her life, she wrote memoirs and autobiographies, in addition to her many letters, leaving behind a vibrant portrait of her opinions.

Louisa lived during a time when women were not supposed to express an interest in politics, but the scene fascinated her. After the Adamses had an early social faux pas in Washington, though, Louisa began to understand how women could sway politics. Louisa then experienced a social freeze-out by the women of Washington, and both Louisa and John Quincy initially suffered for the slight.

That election showed how the balance of power in Washington had started to shift. When the United States of America was first founded, the Constitution and Bill of Rights dictated that citizens should have the right to vote and that the country would have a free press. Except at the time, that meant almost universally that only white men could vote, and, among them, only those that held land. And though newspapers were free to print uncensored content, they were limited in reach and readership.

Meanwhile, media production boomed, and by , there were newspapers in the nation , allowing citizens to be better informed and more engaged with the politics of the day. Although Louisa appreciated having her family united during these summers, she was never comfortable in Massachusetts. Louisa also did not like New England weather, especially the cold and gloomy winters.

In James Madison was elected president, and John Quincy Adams was rejected by the Federalists in his bid for reelection to the Senate. In St. Petersburg, the Russian capital, John Quincy engaged in skillful diplomacy and built a personal relationship with the tsar that increased trade between the two countries.

Louisa and her sister Catherine, who had accompanied the Adamses on their mission, were assets to John Quincy as the tsar found both women appealing.

The infant lived only a year before succumbing to severe dysentery. In John Quincy was sent to Ghent to help negotiate a treaty ending the War of with Britain.

With peace secured, he wrote his wife to sell their property in St. Petersburg and join him in Paris as soon as she could.

During the dead of winter with Charles Francis and a few unreliable servants, Louisa started out on an arduous six-week journey to reach Paris.

The inclement weather was only one of the hardships that she faced along the way, for Napoleon, having escaped from Elba, was on the rampage again in France.

Louisa was traveling in a Russian carriage and when she came to France, soldiers stopped her believing that she was the enemy. After two months in Paris, John Quincy was sent to England as minister to that country. Louisa found a nice English country home and their two sons arrived from Massachusetts to join them. The Adamses had a real family life for the next two years as John Quincy had few official duties in England.

It was one of the happiest times they had with their children. On arriving in Washington, John Quincy found the State Department in disarray, and he felt he needed to reorganize it. Louisa assisted as his secretary, and they both worked long hard hours before he felt everything was in satisfactory order. John Quincy Adams greatly desired the presidency but would not campaign himself. He felt that the presidency should be conferred upon him as a reward for his service to the United States.

The future president, very serious and awkward socially, however, was ill equipped to carry out the public duties necessary to running a successful campaign. By contrast his wife had much charm and grace, and John Quincy relied upon her strengths as his greatest asset in his quest for the presidency. Louisa began entertaining political guests in their Washington home every Tuesday evening with dinner and dancing.

She took each opportunity to tell these influential people what a good president her husband would make. Despite her success Louisa was uncomfortable in this role. She hated the public attention, loss of privacy, and press attacks. While Louisa did accomplish her mission of getting John Quincy Adams elected president, her time in the White House turned out to be disappointing.

John Quincy had been chosen president by the House of Representatives, having won neither the popular vote nor an electoral majority in the election of , and thus lacked support. As a result, many people in Washington were openly hostile to the Adamses. When Louisa did entertain, she did so with the European style to which she was accustomed.