Adams, John

(1735-1826) American lawyer and politician, and second president of the USA. A signatory of the 1776 Declaration of Independence, he became an American diplomatic representative in France and Holland and helped to negotiate the Treaty of Versailles (1783). Elected president after George Washington retired in 1796, he tried to win a second term of office in 1800 but lacked the support of his own Federalist Party and was defeated by Thomas Jefferson.