John Quincy

Colonel John Quincy (July 21, 1689 – July 13, 1767) was a Colonial American soldier, politician and member of the Quincy political family. His granddaughter Abigail Adams named her son, the future president John Quincy Adams, after him. Two days after his great-grandson's birth, Quincy died. The city of Quincy, Massachusetts, is named after him. Shortly after his birth, the family moved to Braintree, Massachusetts, and established a homestead at Mount Wollaston, or Merry Mount, in what is present-day Quincy. Daniel died when John was one year old; his mother subsequently married the Reverend Moses Fiske. Quincy attended Harvard College, graduating in 1708.

John Quincy's paternal grandparents were Edmund Quincy II (1628-1698) and his first wife, Joanna Hoare Quincy. Edmund Quincy II built the Dorothy Quincy House (1685). His paternal great grandfather's father Edmund Quincy (1602-1636), known as "the Puritan", was an early settler of the Massachusetts Bay Colony.

On the origins of his name, John Quincy Adams writes the Rev. George W. Blagden,

Quincy inherited Mt. Wollaston, an estate purchased by his great-grandfather, Captain William Tyng, one of Boston's wealthiest merchants, who had acquired the property and other lands from William Coddington (1601–1678), who was in exile.

Career In 1717, he was elected to represent Braintree at the Massachusetts General Court, was re-elected in 1719, and served in that capacity until 1740. From 1729 to 1741, he served as the Speaker of the House. In 1741, Quincy was voted out of office, but was returned there in 1744, where he served four additional years.

Personal life

On September 3, 1715, he married Elizabeth Norton (1696–1769), daughter of the Reverend John Norton of Hingham. Although officially only achieving the rank of major in the colonial militia, he was commonly referred to as "Colonel". Together they had four children: Norton Quincy (1716–1801), who married Martha Salisbury (1727–1748) Anna Quincy (1719–1799), married John Thaxter (1721–1802) Elizabeth Quincy (1721–1775), who married William Smith (1707-1783). Lucy Quincy (1729–1785), married Cotton Tufts (1732–1815)

He died on 13 July 1767 at the age of 77, only two days after the birth of his namesake, John Quincy Adams, and one month before the duty on tea had been imposed by Act of Parliament of June 14, 1767.

Honors The city of Quincy, Massachusetts, is named after him.