John Adams (March 26, 1705 – January 22, 1740) was an American

poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator ( thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral or writte ...

Biography

Adams was the only son of merchant Hon. John Adams and Hannah Checkley of

Nova Scotia Nova Scotia ( ; ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. Nova Scotia is Latin for "New Scotland". Most of the population are native Eng ...

, and he graduated from

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

in 1721. He joined the ministry of the

Congregational Church Congregational churches (also Congregationalist churches or Congregationalism) are Protestant churches in the Calvinist tradition practising congregationalist church governance, in which each congregation independently and autonomously runs its ...

Newport, Rhode Island Newport is an American seaside city on Aquidneck Island in Newport County, Rhode Island. It is located in Narragansett Bay, approximately southeast of Providence, Rhode Island, Providence, south of Fall River, Massachusetts, south of Boston, ...

, on April 11, 1728, in opposition to the wishes of Mr. Clap, who was pastor there. Clap's friends formed a new society, and Adams was dismissed in about two years. He was distinguished for his intellect and piety. As a preacher he was much esteemed. His uncle, Matthew Adams, described him as "master of nine languages," and claimed that he was conversant with the most famous Greek, Latin, Italian, French, and Spanish authors, as well as with the noblest English writers. He also speaks of his nephew's "great and undissembled piety, which ran, like a vein of gold, through all his life and performances." Adams published a sermon on his ordination, 1728, and a poem on the love of money. He published two volumes of poetry: ''A Collection of Poems by Several Hands'' (1744), and ''Poems on Several Occasions'' (1745),''Who Was Who in America: Historical Volume, 1607-1896.'' Chicago: Marquis Who's Who, 1963. which contains imitations and paraphrases of several portions of scripture, translations from Horace, and the whole book of Revelation in heroic verse, together with original pieces. The versification is remarkably harmonious for the period and the country. The following is an extract from his poem on

Cotton Mather Cotton Mather (; February 12, 1663 – February 13, 1728) was a New England Puritan clergyman and a prolific writer. Educated at Harvard College, in 1685 he joined his father Increase as minister of the Congregationalist Old North Meeting H ...

: He died at

Cambridge, Massachusetts Cambridge ( ) is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. As part of the Boston metropolitan area, the cities population of the 2020 U.S. census was 118,403, making it the fourth most populous city in the state, behind Boston, ...

on January 22, 1740, at the age of 36, deeply lamented by his acquaintance.Allen, William.
An American Biographical and Historical Dictionary
Containing an Account of the Lives, Characters, and Writings of the Most Eminent Persons in North America From Its First Settlement, and a Summary of the History of the Several Colonies and of the United States''. 2nd ed. Boston: Hyde, 1832.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Adams, John (Poet) 1704 births 1740 deaths 18th-century American people 18th-century American poets 18th-century American male writers American male poets American Congregationalists Congregationalist writers Harvard University alumni Writers from Boston Writers from Cambridge, Massachusetts Writers from Newport, Rhode Island