Diary of Charles Francis Adams, volume 2
1826-11-30
On the last day of November the Campaign2 commenced by a great dinner to the Corps Diplomatique, at home. It was stiff as usual, and handsome as they always are, and so it passed. As this will commence my winter, I shall leave off my system of narrative and adopt that of daily notices of passing remarkable events.
From D/CFA/5. CFA spent the morning at home reading Mitford’s Greece and Plutarch and then rode with his brother John. He saw Percy W. Doyle, secretary of the British legation, in the latter part of the day (D/CFA/1).
Washington social life in the early republic began with the reconvening of Congress. In 1826 the “Campaign” was not purely social; a list of dinner invitations would reveal also fierce political maneuvering among factions in anticipation of the next presidential election.