 John Quincy Adams was elected president by the United States House of Representatives after none of the four candidates secured a majority of votes in the electoral college in the 1824 presidential election, as prescribed by the Twelfth Amendment.The outcome was assured when Henry Clay, one of the front-runners, threw his support to Mr. Adams so that Andrew Jackson's candidacy would fail.Jackson had polled more popular votes in the election, but he did not gain enough electoral votes to win outright.