Henry Brooks Adams was an American historian and a member of the Adams political family, descended from two U.S. presidents. As a young Harvard graduate, he served as secretary to his father, Charles Francis Adams, Abraham Lincoln's ambassador to the United Kingdom. The posting influenced the younger man through the experience of wartime diplomacy, and absorption in English culture, especially the works of John Stuart Mill. After the American Civil War, he became a political journalist who entertained America's foremost intellectuals at his homes in Washington and Boston.
Harvard graduation photo: 1858
Henry Adams seated at his desk in his rented house at 1607 H Street in Washington, D.C., writing, 1883
Henry Adams seated with dog on steps of piazza, c. 1883
Adams Memorial modeled 1886–1891, cast 1969 Augustus Saint-Gaudens
The Adams family is a prominent political family in the United States from the late 18th through the early 20th centuries. Based in eastern Massachusetts, they formed part of the Boston Brahmin community. The family traces to Henry Adams of Barton St David, Somerset, in England. The two presidents and their descendants are also descended from John Alden, who came to the United States on the Mayflower.
Adams' birthplace in Quincy, Massachusetts
Abigail Smith Adams – 1766 portrait by Benjamin Blyth
John Adams – 1766 portrait also by Blyth
Abigail Smith Adams – 1800-1815 portrait by Gilbert Stuart
