William Charles Adamson (August 13, 1854 – January 3, 1929) was a

United States representative The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, 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 Artic ...

from

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

, an

Associate Justice An associate justice or associate judge (or simply associate) is a judicial panel member who is not the chief justice in some jurisdictions. The title "Associate Justice" is used for members of the Supreme Court of the United States and some ...

of the

United States Customs Court The United States Court of International Trade (case citations: Ct. Int'l Trade), or CIT, is a U.S. federal court that adjudicates civil actions arising out of U.S. customs and international trade laws. Seated in Lower Manhattan, New York City, ...

and a member of the

Board of General Appraisers The United States Court of International Trade (case citations: Ct. Int'l Trade), or CIT, is a U.S. federal court that adjudicates civil actions arising out of U.S. customs and international trade laws. Seated in Lower Manhattan, New York City, ...

Early years and family

Adamson was born on August 13, 1854, in Bowdon,

, son of John W. Adamson and Mary A. McDaniel, and grandson of William C. Adamson, and of John McDaniel. He attended the common schools. His youth was spent on a farm and in hauling cotton and goods between

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...

and

Bowdon, Georgia Bowdon is a city in Carroll County, Georgia, Carroll County, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a population of 2,161. History The community was incorporated on January ...

. He was married on January 29, 1885, to Minna Reese of

Carrollton, Georgia Carrollton is a city in and the county seat of Carroll County, Georgia, United States. It is within western Georgia, about 45 miles (72 km) west of Atlanta near the Alabama state line, and is included in the Atlanta metropolitan area. It is ...

Education and career

Adamson received an Artium Baccalaureus degree from Bowdon College in 1874. He

read law Reading law was the primary method used in common law countries, particularly the United States, for people to prepare for and enter the legal profession before the advent of law schools. It consisted of an extended internship or apprenticeship un ...

in the office of the Hon. S. W. Harris and 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 October, 1876 and commenced practice in Carrollton, Georgia. He served as judge of the city court of Carrollton from 1885 to 1889. He served as an attorney for the city of Carrollton for a number of years. He served as delegate to the

Democratic National Convention The Democratic National Convention (DNC) is a series of presidential nominating conventions held every four years since 1832 by the United States Democratic Party. They have been administered by the Democratic National Committee since the 18 ...

in 1892 and as a presidential elector in the

1892 Presidential election Year 189 ( CLXXXIX) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Silanus and Silanus (or, less frequently, year 942 ''Ab urbe condita''). The denomination 189 for th ...

Congressional service

Adamson was elected as a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (Cyprus) (DCY) **Democratic Part ...

to the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, 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 Artic ...

of the

55th United States Congress The 55th 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, D.C., from March 4, 1897, ...

and to the ten succeeding Congresses and served from March 4, 1897, until December 18, 1917, when he resigned. He served as Chairman of the Committee on Interstate and Foreign Commerce for the 62nd through

65th United States Congress The 65th 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, D.C., from March 4, 1917, ...

es.

Notable legislation

The

Adamson Act The Adamson Act was a United States federal law passed in 1916 that established an eight-hour workday, with additional pay for overtime work, for interstate railroad workers. History The terms that were embodied in the act were negotiated b ...

, which regulated the hours of railroad workers, was named for Adamson.

Federal Judicial Service

Adamson was nominated by President

Woodrow Wilson Thomas Woodrow Wilson (December 28, 1856February 3, 1924) was the 28th president of the United States, serving from 1913 to 1921. He was the only History of the Democratic Party (United States), Democrat to serve as president during the Prog ...

on September 20, 1917, to a seat on the

vacated by Henderson M. Somerville. He was confirmed by the

United States Senate The United States Senate is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the United States House of Representatives, U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and ...

on September 20, 1917, and received his commission on September 24, 1917. Adamson was reassigned by

operation of law The phrase "by operation of law" is a legal term that indicates that a right or liability has been created for a party, irrespective of the intent of that party, because it is dictated by existing legal principles. For example, if a person dies wi ...

to the

on May 28, 1926, to a new Associate Justice seat authorized by 44 Stat. 669. His service terminated on January 20, 1928, due to his retirement. He was succeeded by Associate Justice

Genevieve R. Cline Genevieve Rose Cline (July 27, 1877 – October 25, 1959) was a judge of the United States Customs Court and the first woman to serve in the United States federal judiciary, serving as an Article I federal judge. Education and career Born on ...

Retirement and death

Adamson resumed the practice of law in Carrollton. He died while on a visit in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

, on January 3, 1929. He was interred in City Cemetery in Carrollton. Adamson Square in downtown Carrollton was named in his honor.

References

Citations

Sources

* *

Attribution

: {{DEFAULTSORT:Adamson, William Charles 1854 births 1929 deaths People from Bowdon, Georgia Georgia (U.S. state) lawyers Members of the Board of General Appraisers Judges of the United States Customs Court United States Article I federal judges appointed by Woodrow Wilson Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Georgia (U.S. state) People from Carrollton, Georgia United States federal judges admitted to the practice of law by reading law 1892 United States presidential electors 19th-century members of the United States House of Representatives