Clark Jayno Adams (June 24, 1904 – September 26, 1981) was an American lawyer, politician and judge. He was a justice of the

Michigan Supreme Court The Michigan Supreme Court is the highest court in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is Michigan's court of last resort and consists of seven justices. The Court is located in the Michigan Hall of Justice at 925 Ottawa Street in Lansing, the s ...

in 1952 and 1953.Biography: Clark Adams
Michigan Supreme Court Historical Society.

Biography

Adams received his

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

from the

University of Michigan The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...

and his law degree from the

University of Michigan Law School The University of Michigan Law School (branded as 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 Comparati ...

. In June 1929, he married Adeline Adams. Adams practiced law in

Pontiac, Michigan Pontiac ( ') is a city in and the county seat of Oakland County, Michigan, Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan. Located roughly northwest of downtown Detroit, Pontiac is part of the Metro Detroit, Detroit metropolitan area, and is vari ...

, with C. Bryan Kinney. He was elected to the

Michigan House of Representatives The Michigan House of Representatives is the lower house of the Michigan Legislature. There are 110 members, each of whom is elected from constituencies having approximately 77,000 to 91,000 residents, based on population figures from the 2020 ...

in 1936, 1938, and 1940. During was a legal advisor to

Governor A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...

G. Mennen Williams Gerhard Mennen "Soapy" Williams (February 23, 1911 – February 2, 1988) was an American politician who served as the 41st governor of Michigan, elected in 1948 and serving six two-year terms in office. He later served as Assistant Secretar ...

. On August 26, 1952, Adams was appointed to the Michigan Supreme Court to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Justice Walter H. North. Adams defeated two opponents in the November 1952 election for the Supreme Court, but was defeated in the April 1953 election by Justice John R. Dethmers and Justice Harry Kelly. After his defeat, Governor G. Mennen Williams appointed Adams to the Oakland County Circuit Court, to fill a newly created seat.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Adams, Clark J. 1904 births 1981 deaths People from Oakland County, Michigan University of Michigan Law School alumni Members of the Michigan House of Representatives Justices of the Michigan Supreme Court 20th-century Michigan state court judges 20th-century members of the Michigan Legislature