Politics for many men became if not a career, than certainly something they pursued because they wanted to, not because they thought they ought to. What rewards they sought are no easier to establish then than they are today, recognition, a sense of power, perhaps financial gain and other factors were no doubt present in those who sought office of government related jobs, but in any case it became possible to think in terms of the profession of politics. John Quincy Adams was probably the man who personified that transition, having served in a variety of public offices for most of his life during a career that went back to his father's time, but in the election of 1828 he was criticized for that fact: the notion of a professional politician still did not sit well with many (Garraty 240).
The election of 1824 is most interesting for the fact that it is the last election in which the Electoral College did not decide the result. Because no one won a majority of votes in that body, it went into the House of Representatives, which decided in favor of John Quincy Adams even though Andrew Jackson had won the popular vote. Although it is not known what went on behind the scenes, Jackson's supporters spoke of a "corrupt bargain" between Adams and Henry Clay, an issue that carried over to the election of 1828 and had a harmful effect on Adams' administration (Garraty 237). Five candidates had sought the presidency in 1824, backed not by parties as such but by various state caucuses and coalitions. John Quincy Adams, William Crawford, Henry Clay, John C. Calhoun, and Andrew Jackson all had their hats in the ring, although Calhoun dropped out and Crawford became ill. Thus it became a three-man race, and when Adams, the winner, named Henry Clay as Secretary of state, a post that seemed to lead straight to the presidency, having been held by every previous president except Washington and John Adams Jackson's people became suspicious.
