Andrew Adams (January 7, 1736 – November 26, 1797) was an American

Founding Father The following is a list of national founders of sovereign states who were credited with establishing a state. National founders are typically those who played an influential role in setting up the systems of governance, (i.e., political system ...

, lawyer, jurist, and political leader in

Connecticut Connecticut ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York (state), New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. ...

during the nation's Revolutionary Era. As a delegate from

to the

Second Continental Congress The Second Continental Congress (1775–1781) was the meetings of delegates from the Thirteen Colonies that united in support of the American Revolution and American Revolutionary War, Revolutionary War, which established American independence ...

, he signed the

Articles of Confederation The Articles of Confederation, officially the Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union, was an agreement and early body of law in the Thirteen Colonies, which served as the nation's first Constitution, frame of government during the Ameri ...

in 1778. Following the war, he returned to his law practice, and in 1793, he was appointed Chief Justice of the

Connecticut Supreme Court The Connecticut Supreme Court, formerly known as the Connecticut Supreme Court of Errors, is the supreme court, highest court in the U.S. state of Connecticut. It consists of a Chief Justice and six Associate Justices. The seven justices sit i ...

Early life

Adams was born in

Stratford, Connecticut Stratford is a New England town, town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. It is situated on Long Island Sound at the mouth of the Housatonic River. The town is part of the Greater Bridgeport Planning Region, Connecticut, Greater Bri ...

, the son of Samuel and Mary Fairchild Adams. His father practiced law in Stratford and was a judge of Fairfield County. Adams attended

Yale Yale University is a private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States, and one of the nine colonial colleges ch ...

and graduated in 1760 before

reading law Reading law was the primary method used in common law countries, particularly the United States, for people to prepare for and enter the legal profession before the advent of law schools. It consisted of an extended internship or apprenticeship u ...

with his father.Marquis Who's Who, Inc. ''Who Was Who in American History, the Military''. Chicago: Marquis Who's Who, 1975. P. 2 He first practiced in Stamford. In 1772, he was named the king's attorney for Litchfield County. He moved to Litchfield in 1774 and made his home there for the rest of his life. He received the degree of

LL.D. A Doctor of Laws (LL.D.) is a doctoral degree in legal studies. The abbreviation LL.D. stands for ''Legum Doctor'', with the double “L” in the abbreviation referring to the early practice in the University of Cambridge to teach both canon law ...

from Yale in 1796. Adams was a

Freemason Freemasonry (sometimes spelled Free-Masonry) consists of fraternal groups that trace their origins to the medieval guilds of stonemasons. Freemasonry is the oldest secular fraternity in the world and among the oldest still-existing organizati ...

. He was a member of St. Paul's Lodge No 11 in Litchfield, Connecticut.Denslow, William R. 10,000 Famous Freemasons, Vol. I, A–D.

Political career

With the coming of the

American Revolution The American Revolution (1765–1783) was a colonial rebellion and war of independence in which the Thirteen Colonies broke from British America, British rule to form the United States of America. The revolution culminated in the American ...

, Adams was a member of Connecticut's Committee of Safety. He served in the

Connecticut House of Representatives The Connecticut House of Representatives is the lower house in the Connecticut General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The house is composed of 151 members representing an equal number of districts, with each ...

from 1776 until 1781 and was its speaker in 1779 and 1780. During the Revolutionary War, he served as a colonel in the Connecticut militia. He was appointed to the

in 1778, when he signed the Articles of Confederation. Adams was a leading player in both state and national politics. Governor of Connecticut Johnathan Trumbull wrote to congressmen

Roger Sherman Roger Sherman (April 19, 1721 – July 23, 1793) was an early American politician, lawyer, and a Founding Father of the United States. He is the only person to sign all four great state papers of the United States: the Continental Association, ...

, Titus Hosmer and Adams on military movements in what is now known as the states of New England. Adams and Hosmer answered the governor's message, stating they would take the opportunity to write to Major Bigelow and keep an eye on the situation through organizing a Board of Treasury, but little progress had been made. After leaving the Continental Congress in 1778, a year later Adams had been named a member of the Connecticut executive council by Trumbull. Adams was also granted a seat as a judge that same year, and he was granted the position of chief justice in 1793, which was the position he kept till his death.

References

External links

*
Andrew Adams Papers
at the William L. Clements Library {{DEFAULTSORT:Adams, Andrew 1736 births 1797 deaths Founding Fathers of the United States People from Stratford, Connecticut Yale University alumni Continental Congressmen from Connecticut Signers of the Articles of Confederation Connecticut militiamen in the American Revolution Speakers of the Connecticut House of Representatives Chief justices of the Connecticut Supreme Court Political leaders of the American Revolution Members of the Connecticut General Assembly Council of Assistants (1662–1818) U.S. state supreme court judges admitted to the practice of law by reading law