George Washington Adams was the eldest son of John Quincy Adams, the sixth president of the United States, and his wife Louisa Adams. George (named for the first U.S. president, George Washington) graduated from Harvard and studied law before becoming a member of the house of representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts (1826). He apparently led a troubled life -- he had a reputation as an alcoholic womanizer predisposed to gloom and paranoia. He drowned after going overboard in the Long Island Sound 30 April 1829 and his body was reported found washed ashore 13 June 1829. It is generally assumed he committed suicide.