Charles Francis Adams

Charles Francis Adams Sr. (1807–1886) was an American diplomat, politician, and historian from the prominent Adams family. The son of President John Quincy Adams and grandson of President John Adams, he built a public career of his own. Adams served in the Massachusetts legislature and later represented the state in the U.S. House of Representatives. He was the Free Soil Party’s vice-presidential nominee in 1848. During the American Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln appointed him U.S. minister to the United Kingdom, where he worked to discourage British recognition of the Confederacy. He also edited and published important historical papers, including documents of the Adams family.