In February of 1825 when it came to light that John Quincy Adams had won the election, family and friends gathered at John Adams' house and wished him congratulations. John Adams was quoted to say "No man who ever held the office of President would congratulate a friend on obtaining it."

But that reserved quip about the weight of the responsibility that his son was about to take on was certainly secondary to his pride and happiness in his son. He had sensed his intelligence and talent since he was a young boy, and had been personally grooming him for intellectual and political success all throughout his childhood. He was undoubtedly thrilled.

The election's effects on John Adams' (who was in very poor health, his eyes being too poor to read or write, he could barely walk without assistance) spirit was even noted by physician and friend, Benjamin Waterhouse:

"But physicians do not always consider how much the powers of the mind, and what is called good spirits, can recover the lost energies of the body. I really believe that your father's revivial is mainly owing to the demonstration that his son has not served an ungrateful public."

The combination of his son's victory and a drive to live until the 50th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence definitely added to John Adams' ailing spirit and maybe even his lifespan.