Summary
Stephen Adams (October 17, 1807 – May 11, 1857) was a United States Representative (1845 to 1847) and Senator (1852 to 1857) from Mississippi.
Stephen Adams | |
|---|---|
 | |
| United States Senator from Mississippi | |
| In office March 17, 1852 – March 3, 1857 | |
| Preceded by | John J. McRae |
| Succeeded by | Jefferson Davis |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Mississippi's at-large district | |
| In office March 4, 1845 – March 3, 1847 | |
| Preceded by | William H. Hammett |
| Succeeded by | no at-large seat |
| Member of the Mississippi House of Representatives | |
| In office 1850 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | October 17, 1807 Pendleton, South Carolina, United States |
| Died | May 11, 1857 (aged 49) Memphis, Tennessee, United States |
| Political party | Democratic |
Early years edit
Adams was born to David Adams, a Baptist clergyman, in Pendleton, South Carolina; he moved with his parents to Franklin County, Tennessee in 1812.[1] He attended the public schools, studied law, was admitted to the bar in 1829, practiced in Franklin County.[1] He was an slaveowner.[2]
Career edit
He was a member of the Tennessee Senate from 1833 to 1834, when he removed to Aberdeen, Mississippi[1] and commenced the practice of law. He was circuit court judge from 1837 to 1846, and was elected as a Democratic representative to the Twenty-ninth Congress,[1] serving from March 4, 1845, to March 3, 1847. He again became a judge of the circuit court in 1848, was a member of the Mississippi House of Representatives in 1850, and was a delegate to the State constitutional convention in 1851.[1]
Adams was elected to the U.S. Senate on February 19, 1852, to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Jefferson Davis[1] and served from March 17, 1852 to March 3, 1857; while in the Senate he was chairman of the Committee on Retrenchment (Thirty-third and Thirty-fourth Congresses).
Last years edit
At the close of his term he removed to Memphis, Tennessee and resumed the practice of law[1] until he died there of smallpox[3] on May 11, 1857[4] and was interred in Elmwood Cemetery.
References edit
- ^ a b c d e f g Johnson 1906, p. 55
- ^ "Congress slaveowners", The Washington Post, January 13, 2022, retrieved January 14, 2022
- ^ "Monroe County - Stephen Adams". co-directors. Archived from the original on October 14, 2017. Retrieved March 27, 2020.
- ^ The American Almanac and Repository of Useful Knowledge, for the Year 1858
Sources edit
- Johnson, Rossiter, ed. (1906). "Adams, Stephen". The Biographical Dictionary of America. Vol. 1. Boston: American Biographical Society. p. 55. Retrieved October 28, 2020.
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
- United States Congress. "Stephen Adams (id: A000048)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.