John Adams became the first vice president of the United States under George Washington, a founding-era figure remembered by America250.
Adams took office in 1789 after receiving the second-highest electoral vote total in the first presidential election. Washington received 69 electoral votes, while Adams received 34. Under the original constitutional system, each elector cast two votes without separately designating a president and vice president; the top vote-getter became president and the runner-up became vice president.
Adams served from April 21, 1789, until March 4, 1797. Because travel and administrative arrangements delayed the new government’s operation, his formal vice-presidential service began after the scheduled start date of March 4, 1789.
As vice president, Adams presided over the Senate and sometimes found the role frustratingly limited. He later became the second president of the United States, succeeding Washington. His son, John Quincy Adams, later became the sixth president, making the Adams family one of the earliest major political families in U.S. history.