Edwin Ross Adair (December 14, 1907 – May 5, 1983) was an American lawyer and

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

veteran who served ten terms as a

U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Article One of th ...

from

Indiana Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...

from 1951 to 1971. He also served as the United States Ambassador to Ethiopia from 1971 to 1974.

Early life

Born in

Albion, Indiana Albion is a town in Albion and Jefferson townships, Noble County, in the U.S. state of Indiana. The population was 2,349 at the 2010 census. The city is the county seat of Noble County. History Albion was laid out in 1846. The town was named ...

, Adair attended grade and high schools in that city. He graduated from

Hillsdale College Hillsdale College is a Private university, private, Conservatism in the United States, conservative, Christian liberal arts college in Hillsdale, Michigan, United States. It was founded in 1844 by members of the Free Will Baptists. Women were admi ...

Michigan Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...

, A.B., 1928, and from

George Washington University Law School The George Washington University Law School (GW Law) is the law school of George Washington University, a Private university, private research university in Washington, D.C. Established in 1865, GW Law is the oldest law school in Washington, D. ...

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

, LL.B., 1933. He was admitted to the Indiana bar in 1933 and commenced the practice of law in

Fort Wayne, Indiana Fort Wayne is a city in Allen County, Indiana, United States, and its county seat. Located in northeastern Indiana, the city is west of the Ohio border and south of the Michigan border. The city's population was 263,886 at the 2020 census ...

. He served as probate commissioner of

Allen County, Indiana Allen County is a county in the U.S. state of Indiana. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 385,410, making it the List of counties in Indiana, third-most populous county in Indiana. The county seat and largest city is Fort Wayne, Indiana, ...

from 1940 to 1950. During

, he was called to active duty as a second lieutenant in the

Quartermaster Corps Following is a list of quartermaster corps, military units, active and defunct, with logistics duties: * Egyptian Army Quartermaster Corps - see Structure of the Egyptian Army * Hellenic Army Quartermaster Corps (''Σώμα Φροντιστών ...

Reserve in September 1941 and served until October 1945. He received battle stars for the Normandy, Northern France, Ardennes, Rhine and Central European campaigns.

U.S. Representative

Adair was elected as a Republican from

Indiana's 4th congressional district Indiana's 4th congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of Indiana. From 2003 to 2013 the district was based primarily in the central part of the state, and consisted of all of Boone, Clinton, Hendricks, Morgan, ...

to the Eighty-second and to the nine succeeding Congresses (January 3, 1951 – January 3, 1971). Adair voted in favor of the Civil Rights Acts of 1957,

1960 It is also known as the "Year of Africa" because of major events—particularly the independence of seventeen African nations—that focused global attention on the continent and intensified feelings of Pan-Africanism. Events January * Janu ...

1964 Events January * January 1 – The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland is dissolved. * January 5 – In the first meeting between leaders of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches since the fifteenth century, Pope Paul VI and Patria ...

, and

1968 Events January–February * January 1968, January – The I'm Backing Britain, I'm Backing Britain campaign starts spontaneously. * January 5 – Prague Spring: Alexander Dubček is chosen as leader of the Communist Party of Cze ...

, and the

Voting Rights Act of 1965 The Voting Rights Act of 1965 is a landmark piece of federal legislation in the United States that prohibits racial discrimination in voting. It was signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson during the height of the civil rights move ...

, but voted present on the 24th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1970 to the Ninety-second Congress.

Ambassador

He served as the United States Ambassador to Ethiopia from 1971 to 1974 as an appointee of President

Richard Nixon Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 until Resignation of Richard Nixon, his resignation in 1974. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican ...

Later career and death

He resumed the practice of law in

, where he resided until his death there, May 5, 1983. He was interred at Greenlawn Memorial Park and Mausoleum in Fort Wayne.

References

Citations

Sources

* * , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Adair, Edwin Ross 1907 births 1983 deaths Ambassadors of the United States to Ethiopia Hillsdale College alumni Politicians from Fort Wayne, Indiana Military personnel from Fort Wayne, Indiana George Washington University Law School alumni Quartermasters United States Army officers Candidates in the 1970 United States elections People from Albion, Indiana United States Army personnel of World War II 20th-century American diplomats United States Army reservists Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Indiana 20th-century members of the United States House of Representatives