Diary of Charles Francis Adams, volume 2

Wednesday 10th.

Friday 12th.

Thursday. 11th. CFA

1828-12-11

Thursday. 11th. CFA
Thursday. 11th.

Morning in the Supreme Court and at the Office. Found not much of interest in the first, and but little in the last, succeeded in finishing the first Volume of Massachusetts Reports, and looked over some por-321tion of the Statutes. On the whole a pretty good morning’s occupation. It rained pretty steadily though it was not cold. In the afternoon, Mr. Davis, my old fellow student at Mr. Webster’s Office, paid me an agreeable visit which prevented my reading, though not at all an unpleasant substitute. I attended a meeting of Mr. Quincy’s friends in the evening, commonly denominated a Caucus. He has most unexpectedly been defeated in his election to his old place of Mayor. This was got up to assist him and was rather tame.1 Indeed if this is the machinery of caucus, it is disgusting enough. I finished the evening at the Office with Boswell. But I was ill at ease for I thought Abby might be in town.

1.

After serving five terms as Mayor of Boston, Josiah Quincy failed to receive a majority of all the votes cast in the municipal election in December 1828. A second ballot was taken with the same result. Thereupon the Mayor published a note stating that “no consideration would induce him to again accept the office,” and Harrison Gray Otis was elected without opposition (Winsor, Memorial History of Boston , 3:233).