Alva Adams (May 14, 1850 – November 1, 1922) was an American politician.

Early life

Adams was born in Adamsville, Wisconsin on May 14, 1850. He was son of

John Adams John Adams (October 30, 1735 – July 4, 1826) was an American statesman, attorney, diplomat, writer, and Founding Father who served as the second president of the United States from 1797 to 1801. Before his presidency, he was a leader of t ...

and Eliza Blanchard. His father, was a member of the

Wisconsin State Assembly The Wisconsin State Assembly is the lower house of the Wisconsin Legislature. Together with the smaller Wisconsin Senate, the two constitute the legislative branch of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Representatives are elected for two-year terms, ...

and the

Wisconsin State Senate The Wisconsin Senate is the upper house of the Wisconsin State Legislature. Together with the larger Wisconsin State Assembly they constitute the legislative branch of the state of Wisconsin. The powers of the Wisconsin Senate are modeled after t ...

. Adams was educated in the public schools of

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

, and in 1871 went to

Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the wes ...

Career

Adams was a member of the first Colorado legislature in 1876. He served four years and two months as the fifth, tenth and 14th

Governor of Colorado The governor of Colorado is the head of government of the U.S. state of Colorado. The governor is the head of the executive branch of Colorado's state government and is charged with enforcing state laws. The governor has the power to either app ...

from 1887 to 1889, 1897 to 1899, and briefly in 1905. His last tenure as Governor lasted a little over two months. He and previous Governor James Peabody each declared the other an illegitimate Governor, even though both were involved in illegal electoral practices. Eventually the Republican legislature removed Adams, installed Peabody, who immediately abdicated for his Lt. Governor

Jesse Fuller McDonald Jesse Fuller McDonald (June 30, 1858February 25, 1942) was an American public official, civil engineer and surveyor, who served as the 16th governor of Colorado in 1905–07. Biography McDonald was born in Ashtabula, Ohio, on June 30, 1858. Af ...

, and the issue ended. On November 1, 1922, Adams died in Battle Creek, Michigan at the age of 72.

Adams County, Colorado Adams County is a county located in the U.S. state of Colorado. As of the 2020 census, the population was 519,572. The county seat is Brighton. The county is named for Alva Adams, an early Governor of the State of Colorado in 1887–1889. A ...

, is named for Alva Adams, and it is believed the city of

Alva, Oklahoma Alva is a city in and the county seat of Woods County, Oklahoma, United States, along the Salt Fork Arkansas River. The population was 4,945 at the 2010 census. Northwestern Oklahoma State University is located in Alva. History Alva was estab ...

is as well. Alva Adams' younger brother, William Herbert "Billy" Adams also served as

from 1927 to 1933. Alva Adams' son,

Alva Blanchard Adams Alva Blanchard Adams (October 29, 1875 – December 1, 1941) was a Democratic politician who represented Colorado in the United States Senate from 1923 until 1924 and again from 1933 to 1941. Biography Adams was born in Del Norte, Colorado an ...

, served as United States Senator from Colorado from 1923 to 1925 and from 1933 to 1941.

References

External links

The Governor Alva Adams Collection at the Colorado State Archives
{{DEFAULTSORT:Adams, Alva Democratic Party governors of Colorado People from Iowa County, Wisconsin 1850 births 1922 deaths