Charles Francis Adams summary

Learn about the life of Charles Francis Adams and his role as a U.S. diplomat in Britain

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Adams, Charles Francis
Charles Francis Adams

Charles Francis Adams, (born Aug. 18, 1807, Boston, Mass., U.S.—died Nov. 21, 1886, Boston), U.S. diplomat. The son of John Quincy Adams and the grandson of John Adams, he served in the Massachusetts legislature and edited a Whig journal. He helped form the antislavery Free-Soil Party and in 1848 was chosen its candidate for U.S. vice president. As ambassador to Britain (1861–68) he was instrumental in securing Britain’s neutrality during the American Civil War and in promoting the arbitration of the Alabama claims.

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