Contingent election and inauguration of John Quincy Adams
- When
- 1825
- Where
- U.S. Capitol
- Episodes
- 2
The 1824 presidential election failed to produce an Electoral College majority, triggering a contingent election under the Twelfth Amendment. The House of Representatives selected John Quincy Adams as president on February 9, 1825, despite Andrew Jackson's popular vote plurality. Adams was inaugurated on March 4, 1825, marking the start of his single term.
Episodes
- House Contingent Election
The House of Representatives held a contingent election on February 9, 1825, to resolve the lack of an electoral majority.
- Adams Inauguration
John Quincy Adams was inaugurated as the sixth President of the United States on March 4, 1825.
Background and detail
Background. Presidential elections were held from October 26 to December 2, 1824. Andrew Jackson, John Quincy Adams, Henry Clay, and William Crawford were the primary contenders. No candidate secured a majority of electoral votes, resulting in an inconclusive outcome. The Twelfth Amendment mandated that the House of Representatives hold a contingent election to resolve the deadlock.
Contingent Election. The House voted on February 9, 1825, with each state delegation casting one vote. Henry Clay, who finished fourth in the electoral college and was eliminated from the contingent election, threw his support to Adams. This decision assured Adams's victory over Andrew Jackson, who had polled more popular votes but lacked the necessary electoral majority.
Inauguration. John Quincy Adams was sworn in as the sixth President of the United States on March 4, 1825, in the House Chamber of the U.S. Capitol. This event marked the commencement of his only four-year term. Adams was the first president to be the son of a former president, John Adams.
People involved
- John Quincy Adams · President-elect
- Andrew Jackson · Candidate
- Henry Clay · Candidate
- William H. Crawford · Candidate
Sources
- 1824 United States presidential election Wikipedia, revision of 2026-10-02
- Inauguration of John Quincy Adams Wikipedia, revision of 2026-09-02
Machine-drafted from the cited Wikipedia passages and checked by a reviewing model, not by a human editor. Every passage cites the revision it was written from; dates and places follow those passages.