The political career of John Quincy Adams was long and distinguished. The son of Abigail and John Adams, John Quincy was born in 1767, became a lawyer in 1787, and soon entered the political arena as a diplomat. He became a U.S. senator in 1803, elected as a Federalist to represent the state of Massachusetts. Adams quickly established himself as an independent thinker with a willingness to break from party allegiance. In 1824, he became the sixth president of the United States, defeating Andrew Jackson in a controversial election. Following his presidency, John Quincy Adams returned to Congress, serving nearly 17 years in the House of Representatives, where he earned the nickname "Old Man Eloquent." Adams suffered a stroke and died in the U.S. Capitol on February 23, 1848. His exceptional diary provides a revealing account of early American politics.