Jackson Leroy Adair (February 23, 1887 – January 19, 1956) was a

United States representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

from

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Rockf ...

and a

United States district judge The United States district courts are the trial courts of the U.S. federal judiciary. There is one district court for each federal judicial district, which each cover one U.S. state or, in some cases, a portion of a state. Each district cou ...

of the

United States District Court for the Southern District of Illinois The United States District Court for the Southern District of Illinois (in case citations, S.D. Ill.) is a United States district court, federal district court covering approximately the southern third of the state of Illinois. Appeals from the ...

Education and career

Adair was born in Clayton,

, attending public high school, and

Illinois College Illinois College is a private liberal arts college in Jacksonville, Illinois. It is affiliated with the United Church of Christ and the Presbyterian Church (USA). It was the second college founded in Illinois, but the first to grant a degree ( ...

Jacksonville Jacksonville is a city located on the Atlantic coast of northeast Florida, the most populous city proper in the state and is the List of United States cities by area, largest city by area in the contiguous United States as of 2020. It is the co ...

, Illinois. He graduated from the

University of Michigan Law School The University of Michigan Law School (Michigan Law) is the law school of the University of Michigan, a public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Founded in 1859, the school offers Master of Laws (LLM), Master of Comparative Law (MCL ...

in 1911 with a

Bachelor of Laws Bachelor of Laws ( la, Legum Baccalaureus; LL.B.) is an undergraduate law degree in the United Kingdom and most common law jurisdictions. Bachelor of Laws is also the name of the law degree awarded by universities in the People's Republic of Ch ...

. He was

admitted to the bar An admission to practice law is acquired when a lawyer receives a license to practice law. In jurisdictions with two types of lawyer, as with barristers and solicitors, barristers must gain admission to the bar whereas for solicitors there are dist ...

the same year and commenced practice in Muskogee, Oklahoma. He moved to Quincy, Illinois, in 1913 and continued the practice of law. He also engaged in agricultural pursuits and in the manufacture of medicine for livestock. He served as city attorney of Quincy from 1914 to 1916. He served as prosecuting attorney of Adams County, Illinois from 1916 to 1920 and from 1924 to 1928. He was in private practice in Adams County from 1920 to 1924. He served as member of the Illinois Senate from 1928 to 1932, from the 36th District.

Congressional service

Adair was elected as a Democrat to the 73rd and

74th United States Congress The 74th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, DC from January 3, 1935, ...

es, serving from March 4, 1933, to January 3, 1937. He was not a candidate for renomination in 1936.

Federal judicial service

Adair was nominated by President

Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (; ; January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), often referred to by his initials FDR, was an American politician and attorney who served as the 32nd president of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945. As the ...

on March 24, 1937, to a seat on the

vacated by Judge James Earl Major. He was confirmed by the

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

on April 20, 1937, and received his commission on April 27, 1937. His service terminated on January 19, 1956, due to his death in Quincy. He was interred in South Side Cemetery in Clayton.

References

Sources

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Adair, Jackson Leroy 1887 births 1956 deaths Democratic Party Illinois state senators Judges of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Illinois United States district court judges appointed by Franklin D. Roosevelt 20th-century American judges University of Michigan Law School alumni Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Illinois