Daniel Adams (September 29, 1773June 8, 1864) was a noted physician, textbook author, and state legislator. He was born in

Townsend, Massachusetts Townsend is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 9,127 at the 2020 census. History Townsend was first settled by Europeans in 1676 in an area known by indigenous people of the area as Wistequassuck, ...

to Daniel Adams and Lydia Taylor Adams in 1773. He graduated from

Dartmouth College Dartmouth College ( ) is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States. Established in 1769 by Eleazar Wheelock, Dartmouth is one of the nine colonial colleges chartered before the America ...

in 1797, and received his

M.D. A Doctor of Medicine (abbreviated MD, from the Latin ) is a medical degree, the meaning of which varies between different jurisdictions. In the United States, and some other countries, the ''MD'' denotes a professional degree of physician. This ge ...

in 1799. He married Nancy Mulliken in 1800, and began the practice of medicine in

Leominster, Massachusetts Leominster ( ) is a city in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. It is the second-largest city in Worcester County, with a population of 43,222 at the 2023 census. Leominster is located north of Worcester and northwest of Boston. Bo ...

that same year. He was chosen to deliver the

eulogy A eulogy (from , ''eulogia'', Classical Greek, ''eu'' for "well" or "true", ''logia'' for "words" or "text", together for "praise") is a speech or writing in praise of a person, especially one who recently died or retired, or as a term o ...

for

George Washington George Washington (, 1799) was a Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father and the first president of the United States, serving from 1789 to 1797. As commander of the Continental Army, Washington led Patriot (American Revoluti ...

at the memorial service in Leominster. According to some accounts, this version was so popular that the town council had it printed and distributed free to the entire town. With Salmon Wilder he published the weekly newspaper ''Telescope'' from 1800 through 1802. Around 1805, he moved to

Boston, Massachusetts Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

, taught at a private school, and edited the monthly magazine ''Medical and Agricultural Register''. In 1813, he moved to

Mont Vernon, New Hampshire Mont Vernon is a town in Hillsborough County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 2,584 at the 2020 census, up from 2,409 at the 2010 census. Spelling It is not clear why the name of the community is spelled differently from the ...

, and returned to the practice of medicine. He served in the

New Hampshire Senate The New Hampshire State Senate is the upper house of the New Hampshire General Court, alongside the lower New Hampshire House of Representatives. The Senate has been meeting since 1784. The Senate consists of 24 members representing Senate distri ...

from 1838 through 1840. Later, in 1846, he moved to

Keene, New Hampshire Keene is a city in Cheshire County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 23,047 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, down from 23,409 at the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census. It is the county seat and the only city in ...

, where he remained until his death in 1864. Adams compiled or wrote several different textbooks over the course of his life. His first was ''The Scholar's Arithmetic'' (1801). The text was very popular during the first quarter of the 19th century, and he published a revision of it, entitled ''Adam's New Arithmetic'', in 1827. Much later in 1848, he published another mathematics textbook entitled ''Primary Arithmetic''. He compiled three reading textbooks during his life, ''The Understanding Reader'' (1803), ''The Agricultural Reader'' (1824), and ''The Monitorial Reader'' (1841). He also wrote a grammar textbook ''The Thorough Scholar, or the Nature of Language'' (1802), a geography textbook ''Geography, or a Description of the World'' (1814), and an accounting textbook ''Bookkeeping'' (1849).

References

*''Who Was Who in America, Historical Volume, 1607-1896.'' Chicago: Marquis Who's Who, 1963.

External links

Appleton's Cyclopedia of American Biography, edited by James Grant Wilson, John Fiske and Stanley L. Klos. Six volumes, New York: D. Appleton and Company, 1887-1889
{{DEFAULTSORT:Adams, Daniel 1773 births 1864 deaths People from Townsend, Massachusetts People from Leominster, Massachusetts Politicians from Worcester County, Massachusetts Dartmouth College alumni New Hampshire state senators Physicians from New Hampshire 18th-century American physicians 19th-century American physicians 19th-century members of the New Hampshire General Court