Discover the 4 Presidents That Were Born in Massachusetts

Every four years we elect someone to be President of the United States. These 45 men who have become presidents form part of an elite, but diverse club. They come from various ways of life and use their skills to enact policies that will better Americans’ lives. Where they come from shapes who they are and how they will enact change. The five presidents were born in New York and eight presidents born in Virginia will have different outlooks in life. When it comes to the New England state of Massachusetts, four men have hailed from The Bay State.

Let’s explore all four presidents who were born in Massachusetts. We will also briefly highlight where they were born and other places they lived in.

John Adams

John Adams was born on the family farm in Braintree, MA on October 30, 1735. He served as the second president from 1797 to 1801, as well as the first vice-president during the Washington Administration. He died on July 4, 1826, in Quincy, MA (aged 90). Adams is best known as one of the Founding Fathers who shaped what is now the United States government. He was a signer of the Declaration of Independence and became the second president after Washington decided to only serve two terms.

Adams Presidency

• Established the Department of the Navy, the United States Marine Corps, and the Library of Congress.
• Signed the Alien and Sedition Acts, which restricted immigration and gave the President broader powers to handle such topics.
• Was embroiled in a Quasi-War with France.
• Signed the Judiciary Act of 1801 which revamped the federal judicial system and increased the number of federal judges.

Where Was He Born?

Braintree is located in Norfolk County and currently has a population of 39,143. It is part of the Greater Boston area with public transit reaching Braintree. The town was chartered in 1640 and then three separate municipalities formed from the town, which included Quincy, Holbrook, and Randolph. One fun fact about Braintree happened in 1920 as the town of Braintree was where the murders that led to the Sacco and Vanzetti trial took place.

Places He Lived In

Adams was born in Braintree, located in Norfolk County, MA. He studied at Harvard University (known then as Harvard College) and lived in Boston. He then taught in Worcester, MA for some time before moving back to Boston. After getting married, he went back to Braintree but would go back and forth as his law office was still in Boston. 

Adams lived in France while he was Commissioner of said country from 1778-1779. He lived in The Hague as Ambassador to the Dutch Republic from mid-1780 for several years, then went to London as Ambassador to Great Britain until 1788 when he got elected Vice President. As vice president, he lived in New York and Philadelphia. He then moved to Washington D.C. in 1800 as the first president to live in the White House. When he lost the election to Thomas Jefferson, he moved back to his farm in Braintree (which was now the city of Quincy).

John Quincy Adams

The son of President John Adams, John Quincy Adams was born in Braintree, MA on July 11, 1767. He served as the sixth president from 1825 to 1829. He died on February 23, 1848 (aged 80). The second Adams was a successful lawyer who had a career as a diplomat, as well. He was Ambassador to the Netherlands, Portugal, Prussia, Russia, and the United Kingdom. He also served in the US Senate and the US House of Representatives. Lastly, he was also Secretary of State during the Monroe presidency.

J.Q. Adams Presidency

• Became President as the winner of the electoral college, even though he lost the popular vote. He is the first person of five to become President this way.
• Settled all debts and restitution with the British over the War of 1812, with Czar Nicholas I of Russia as mediator.
• Closed American ports to the British amid more rising tensions.
• Signed the Tariff of 1828, which is also called the “Tariff of Abominations.” What the tariff did was reduced competition with Northern and Western manufacturing industries, while leaving Southern businesses out. This in turn created an economic slight in the South.

Where Was He Born?

Adams was born in Braintree, but in 1792, a part of the area separated into another town called Quincy, named after John Quincy Adams’s great-grandfather. It became a city in 1888. Today, Quincy has a population of 101,636, which makes it the seventh-largest city in Massachusetts.

Places He Lived In

Adams spent much of his time in Europe with his father while he was a diplomat. He spent time in the Netherlands, France, and the United Kingdom. As an adult, he was also living in Europe when he was a diplomat — mainly in the Netherlands, Prussia, Russia, and the United Kingdom. While he was Minister to the Netherlands, he met his future wife, Louisa Catherine Johnson, when he spent a winter in London. While in the United States, though, he lived in Quincy, MA, and Washington D.C. during the time he worked there while in Congress, as Secretary of State, and while he was President of the United States.

John F. Kennedy

John F. Kennedy was born in Brookline, MA on May 29, 1917. He served as the 35th president from 1961 to 1963. He was assassinated on November 22, 1963, in Dallas, TX (aged 46). Kennedy was the youngest president to get elected at age 43. He was not the youngest person to become President as Theodore Roosevelt assumed the presidency at age 42 after William McKinley was assassinated. Kennedy was President during a tumultuous time in the world. He served as Congressman and later US Senator before becoming President.

Kennedy Presidency

• Signed a Stimulus Package to end the Recession of 1960-1961.
• Created the Peace Corps in 1961.
• Signed the Equal Pay Act of 1963, which was meant to abolish pay gaps between genders. Unfortunately what Kennedy envisioned has not yet come true as there are still wide pay disparities between women and men.
• Had tense negotiations with the Soviet Union during the Bay of Pigs in 1961 and the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962, but in the end, he avoided going to war with the Soviet Union.
• Signed the Nuclear Test Ban Treaty with the Soviet Union and the UK, creating a ban on testing nuclear weapons on the ground, in the air, or underwater.

Where Was He Born?

Incorporated in 1705, Brookline, MA is located in Norfolk County. It is part of the Greater Boston area and currently has a population of 63,191. The Algonquin tribe occupied the area before European settlers came.

Places He Lived In

Kennedy lived in Brookline, MA for the first 10 years of his life before his family moved to New York City. When he was 13, he was sent to boarding schools in New Milford, CT, and Wallingford, CT. A sickly child, he lived at Princeton for a few months before being hospitalized, then went to a hospital in Boston, and Arizona to work as a ranch hand. He attended Harvard for his Bachelor’s Degree. He was in the Naval Reserve for 4 years — first at the field office in Charleston, SC, and then in the South Pacific. Afterwards, he lived between Boston and Washington D.C. during his time in Congress. As President, he lived at the White House.

George H.W. Bush

George Herbert Walker Bush was born on June 12, 1924, in Milton, MA. He served as the 41st president from 1989 to 1993. He died on November 30, 2018, in Houston, TX (aged 94). Coming from a political family, he entered politics and quickly became a rising star in the Republican Party. He was a Congressman, United Nations Ambassador, and the Director of Central Intelligence before becoming Vice President under Ronald Reagan. After Reagan’s two terms, he ran for President and won. His son, George W. Bush, also became President from 2001-2009.

Bush Presidency

• Signed the Americans with Disabilities Act, which ensured people with handicaps had access to facilities and public transit through ramps, automatic doors, and other ways. It also made it illegal to discriminate against them for employment purposes.
• Led the US in Operation Desert Storm, making sure that Saddam Hussein and Iraqi forces were removed from Kuwait.
• Ended the Cold War in 1989 with Mikhail Gorbachev.
• Signed the Immigration Act of 1990, which allowed 700,000 new immigrant entries per year.
• Signed the Clean Air Act of 1990, which sought to reduce air pollution.

Where Was He Born?

Milton is a suburb of Boston, located south of the city. It is mainly a more affluent area. It currently has a population of 28,630 and, notably, it is consistently ranked as one of the best places to live in the United States.

Places He Lived In

Bush spent most of his childhood in Greenwich, CT after leaving Milton a year after he was born. He also spent much of his time at the family home in Kennebunkport, ME, and his maternal grandmother’s home in South Carolina. Bush attended an elite academy in Andover, MA from 1937 to 1942, then enrolled in the US Navy and lived in various parts of the country and world. Bush and his family lived in New Haven, CT while he was at Yale and afterward, they moved to West Texas so Bush could start his business career. He also lived in Compton, Ventura, and Bakersfield, CA, as well as Odessa and Midland, TX during this time. 

As a Congressman, the Bush family lived in Houston. When he was appointed to various executive positions, he lived in Washington D.C., and Houston. As Vice President and President, he mainly lived in Washington. When Bush retired, he moved back to Houston.

Conclusion

And there you have it, those are the four presidents born in Massachusetts. Although Virginia holds the record for having the most presidents born in a state, followed by Ohio, then New York, Massachusetts is close behind. The state has played a pivotal role in American presidential politics and it will continue to do so in the future. As for the four presidents from the Bay State, historians and history in general know how successful they were in enacting policies that made the United States a better place.