John Quincy Adams

The only former president to return to Congress, serving Massachusetts for seventeen post-presidential years.

Overview

Defeated for re-election in 1828, Adams shocked observers by winning election to the House in 1830, where he served from 1831 until his collapse in the Capitol in 1848. He battled the gag rule that tabled antislavery petitions for eight years until it was repealed in 1844, successfully argued the Amistad captives' case before the Supreme Court, championed the Smithsonian bequest, and advocated federal science and infrastructure. His persistent antislavery fight made him the conscience of the House in his final decade and a thorn to southern majorities.