With the exception of the 5 years he spent in the U.S. Senate (1803-1808), Adams spent most of the years 1794 - 1825 as U.S. Minister to countries such as The Netherlands, Prussia, Russia, and Great Britain; as special envoy; and as U.S. Secretary of State. As one of the principal U.S. negotiators at the Treaty of Ghent, which ended the War of 1812, he won respect for the both the U.S. and for his own diplomatic skills. Serving as Monroe's Secretary of State, he was instrumental in the formation of the Monroe doctrine, probably his most important achievement in public life. Elected President in 1824, Adams was never very popular, in large part because of his aloofness. He was badly defeated by Andrew Jackson in 1828, with Jackson winning a popular vote proportionally larger than any other presidential candidate received during the rest of the 1800s. He was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1830, and remained there for the remainder of this life.