Wyandot County Republican. [volume] (Upper Sandusky, Ohio) 1869-1903, 1870-11-24
Autograph of John Quincy
Adams.

Adams.
At the recent meeting of the New
York Historical Society, the Hon.
James Brooks read first to the soci.
ETY. and afterward presented auto
biographical sketches of the lives of
John Quincy Adams and William
Henry Harrison, accompanying the
reading with appropriate remarks.
The autobiography of John Quin
cy Adams is as follows:
WASHINGTON, I'd March, 1887.
James Brooks, Esq, New York:
Dear Sir: The minutes in the fol-
lowing pages form chronological
index to my life and adventures
much more particularly than was
necessary for your purr ose, or than,
perhaps, was desired by you.
From the month of February.
177S, in my eleventh year. when 1
embarked with my father in the
Boston Frigate for France, I was
substantially in the public service OF
the United States, though without
pay or emolument. He was join:
Commissioner with Benjamin Frank
lin and Arthur Lee, at the Court Of
France; l was boy in the process
0 f education, and in the years 177S
and 1719 learned at school from nv
teacher and from my schoolmates
to read, write and speak in the
French language as familiarly and
with the same facility as my own.
In those same years / thrice crossed
the Atlantic, in battle array, in the
midst of the American revolutionary
war. In 1871, being then fourteen
years of age, went with Francis
Dana, who had been appointed by
Congress Minister Plenipotentiary
to the Court of the Empress Cathe.
rine of Russia, to St. Petersburg,
and there resided with him fifteen
months, serving him as secretary,
treasurer and interpreter He was
not formally received by the En-
press Catherine, who had not recog-
nizcd the independence of the Uni
ted States, but had some informal
negotiations with her government
through the French Minister at her
Court, the Marquis de Vcrac Mr..
Dana was unacquainted with the
French and the Marquis de Vcrac
with the English language. In their
conferences l was the only inter
greter between them. In their cor
respondence l translated Mr.. Dana's
letters into French for the Marquis
and the Marquis letters into Eng
for Mr.. Dana. AT the same time,
copied Mr.. Dana's letters and dis
patches, took lessons in German,
and studied Cicero's Orations and
the Lives of Cornelius Nepos. Nj.
Dana paid my expenses, and re.
ce.ved from Congress compensation
for my services as his secretary.
From August, 1888, to May, l7S5,
| was with my father III Holland,
England and France. l served rs
his Secretary during that time. but
for that service neither he nor /
ever received any compensation
from the public.
In 17S5. left my father and his
family in France, where he had been
after the peace of 1888, joint com
missioner with Dr. Franklin and Mr.
Jefferson for negotiating CONNER
cial treaties with all Europe. My
father was now appointed Minister
to Great Britain, and was about pro
ceeding to London. Instead OF go
ing with him, | came home to finish
my education at Harvard Univers-
ity, and in the office of Theophilus
Parsons. at Newburyport.
From 1885 to 1874 l was in pri-
vate life, though in 1892 l was
elected by the inhabitants of Bos-
ton a Clerk of the Market, and
served them in that capacity one
year, and 1893 l was appointed by
their selectmen to deliver the town
oratiou upon independence day of
that year, which service L likewise
performed. In 1898 and 1894 was,
by the appointment of the then
Court of Sessions for the County OF
Suffolk, the County Attorney, That
court has since been abolished, the
the Municipal Court being substi-
tuted in its place.
In May. 1894, in my twenty
seventh year, L was appointed by
President Washington, Minister
Resident to the United Netherlands,
and from that time to the present
with the intervals of one year on
my return from Prussia in 1901, of
one year after, resigned my seat in
the Senate of the United States in
lSOS' and of two years after the ex-
piration OF my term as President of
the United States, from 1929 to
1881, / have been constantly in the
public service. / consider, in
deed, my public life as having COM
menced in February, IT'S. From
that was bred to 1t, have never
been good for anything else.
Among my public offices 1 have
not counted that of Professor of
Rhetoric and Oratory at Harvard
University, which l held from 1906
to 1909; while / was two of the
same years in the Senate of the Uni
ted States. / delivered a course of
lectures on rhetoric which has been
published. Forgive my egotism.
scarcely avoidable in person in
vited to speak of himself, and be-
lisSe me, with much respect, Dear
Sir, your friend and servant.
JouN Or-rSCv An.xr-