John Alfred McDowell Adair (December 22, 1864 – October 5, 1938) was an American lawyer and politician who served five 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 1907 to 1917.

Biography

Born in

Portland, Indiana Portland is a city in and the county seat of Jay County, Indiana, United States. The population was 6,320 at the 2020 census, History Portland was platted in 1837. It was named after Portland, Maine. The Jay County Courthouse, Portland Com ...

, Adair attended the public schools and Portland High School where he engaged in mercantile pursuits and served as clerk of the city of Portland 1888–1890. He also served as clerk of Jay County 1890-1895 where he studied law. Adair 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 ...

in 1895 and commenced practice in

. He served as member of the State house of representatives in 1902 and 1903. During this time, he engaged in banking, being elected president of the First National Bank of Portland in 1904.

Congress

Adair was elected as a Democrat to the Sixtieth and to the four succeeding Congresses (March 4, 1907 – March 3, 1917). He served as chairman of the Committee on Expenditures in the Department of War ( Sixty-third and Sixty-fourth Congresses). However, he did not seek renomination in 1916, but was an unsuccessful Democratic nominee for Governor of Indiana.

Later career and death

Afterward, he resumed the banking business in

. Later, he moved to

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 ...

, in 1924 and served as vice president of Southern Dairies (Inc.) until 1931. He also served as chairman of the board of the Finance Service Co., in

Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the List of United States ...

from 1933 to 1935, and served as vice president of the Atlas Tack Corporation in

Fairhaven, Massachusetts Fairhaven (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ) is a New England town, town in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States. It is located on the South Coast (Massachusetts), South Coast of Massachusetts where the Acushnet River flows into Buzz ...

from 1935 to 1937. Adair also served as director of the Artloom Corporation,

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

, in 1937. He died in

, October 5, 1938.

References

1864 births 1938 deaths People from Portland, Indiana Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Indiana 20th-century members of the United States House of Representatives 20th-century members of the Indiana General Assembly {{Indiana-politician-stub