Over the past 30 or so years I have been teaching about our Founding Fathers, I have come to love these men and their ladies. Each one has a secure place in my heart. But as I have been giving these presentations, I have had a affinity for John Adams.

It seems that my own life has had some parallels with John. We are about the same general size.  Of course, I am much more handsome than he. If you’ll recall, John went to college at his family’s insistence. Well, his fathers. He went to Harvard College, which at the time trained students to become ministers, teachers, or lawyers.

John studied to be a teacher. He found he wasn’t suited for the task, and he returned to Harvard to learn how to become a lawyer. When he courted Abigail, her mother was against her marrying a lawyer. “John Adams is nothing but a lawyer!” Her mother had proclaimed. Lawyers are the most despicable group in New England. Everybody agrees. They ought to be outlawed.”

In college, when I met my wife, I didn’t really know what I wanted to become. My major was German. I could teach German in high school. But I found that didn’t appeal to me. So I took an aptitude test. That didn’t help. I decided to take a Law School Admission Test. I did. I scored in the top 10% on the national level. I applied to law school. Linda’s mom wasn’t as discouraged as Abigail’s.

John became a great lawyer and was known as an “honest lawyer.” I became a pretty good lawyer; great in my own mind. To my knowledge, I was generally held to be an “honest lawyer.”

John and I had several other things in common. For example he stood up for and on behalf of the Declaration of Independence. I have done the same, without as much fanfare or success. But nevertheless . . .