10. An absentee and authoritarian father, John Adams’ poor parenting contributed to the alcoholism and early deaths of two of his three adult sons
John Adams, one of the Founding Fathers of the United States, served as the new nation’s first Vice President for eight years before becoming its second President from 1797 until 1801. Initially falling in love with Hannah Quincy during the 1750s, as John was about to propose the pair were interrupted by friends. With the moment lost, John never asked the question and the relationship floundered. Meeting fifteen-year-old Abigail Smith in 1759, the twenty-four-year-old lawyer was initially unimpressed. Gradually growing closer, sharing a deep love of books, in 1764 the pair were married despite the opposition of Abigail’s mother.
Fathering six children, of which two died young, John was known to possess an authoritarian streak. In fact, his leanings towards political authoritarianism, observable in the passage of the Alien and Sedition Acts, was a major contributing factor to his failure to win re-election in 1800. Persistently absent from home due to work, Abigail was left to raise the children alone. Without a competent fatherly figure, with the exception of John Quincy Adams, his children developed poorly. Both Charles and Thomas became alcoholics, with Thomas dying in debt in 1805 and Charles from cirrhosis of the liver in 1800.
Also Read: Here Are 10 Members of the Adams Family Who Proved Their Worth.