Which two Founding Fathers died on July 4, 1826, the 50th anniversary of American independence?

John Adams and Thomas Jefferson died on July 4, 1826, the 50th anniversary of American independence.

Adams and Jefferson were major revolutionary leaders and later presidents of the United States. Adams served as the second president, while Jefferson served as the third. Both had been deeply involved in the independence movement and were connected with the Declaration of Independence’s creation and adoption.

Their deaths occurred on the same national anniversary, exactly fifty years after 1776. Adams died at his home in Quincy, Massachusetts, while Jefferson died at Monticello in Virginia. The coincidence became one of the most memorable episodes in early American commemorative history.

The two men had once been close political allies, later became opponents during the partisan struggles of the 1790s, and eventually renewed their friendship through a long exchange of letters. Their deaths are often mentioned alongside the anniversary history leading from the 1776 founding era to America250.