Andrew Adams (January 7, 1736 – November 26, 1797) was an American

Founding Father The following list of national founding figures is a record, by country, of people who were credited with establishing a state. National founders are typically those who played an influential role in setting up the systems of governance, (i.e. ...

, lawyer, jurist, and political leader in

Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its capita ...

during the nation's Revolutionary Era. As a delegate from

to the Second Continental Congress, he signed the Articles of Confederation in 1778. Following the war, he returned to his law practice, and in 1793, he was appointed Chief Justice of the

Connecticut Supreme Court The Connecticut Supreme Court, formerly known as the Connecticut Supreme Court of Errors, is the highest court in the U.S. state of Connecticut. It consists of a Chief Justice and six Associate Justices. The seven justices sit in Hartford, ac ...

Early life

Adams was born in Stratford, Connecticut, the son of Samuel (1703–1788) and Mary Fairchild (1698–1803) Adams. His father practiced law in Stratford and was a judge of

Fairfield County Fairfield County is the name of three counties in the United States: * Fairfield County, Connecticut * Fairfield County, Ohio Fairfield County is a county located in the U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2020 census, the population was 158,921. ...

. Adams attended

Yale Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wor ...

and graduated in 1760 before

reading law Reading law was the 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 under th ...

with his father.Marquis Who's Who, Inc. ''Who Was Who in American History, the Military''. Chicago: Marquis Who's Who, 1975. P. 2 He first practiced in Stamford. In 1772, he was named the king's attorney for

Litchfield County Litchfield County is in northwestern Connecticut. As of the 2020 census, the population was 185,186. The county was named after Lichfield, in England. Litchfield County has the lowest population density of any county in Connecticut and is the ...

. He moved to Litchfield in 1774 and made his home there for the rest of his life. He received the degree of

LL.D. Legum Doctor (Latin: “teacher of the laws”) (LL.D.) or, in English, Doctor of Laws, is a doctorate-level academic degree in law or an honorary degree, depending on the jurisdiction. The double “L” in the abbreviation refers to the early ...

from Yale in 1796. Adams was a Freemason. He was a member of St. Paul's Lodge No 11 in Litchfield, Connecticut.Denslow, William R. 10,000 Famous Freemasons, Vol. I, A–D.

Political career

With the coming of the

American Revolution The American Revolution was an ideological and political revolution that occurred in British America between 1765 and 1791. The Americans in the Thirteen Colonies formed independent states that defeated the British in the American Revoluti ...

, Adams was a member of Connecticut's Committee of Safety. He served in the

Connecticut House of Representatives The Connecticut State House of Representatives is the lower house in the Connecticut General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The house is composed of 151 members representing an equal number of districts, with ...

from 1776 until 1781 and was its speaker in 1779 and 1780. During the Revolutionary War, he served as a colonel in the Connecticut militia. He was appointed to the Second Continental Congress in 1778, when he signed the Articles of Confederation. Adams was a leading player in both state and national politics. Governor of Connecticut Johnathan Trumbull wrote to congressmen

Roger Sherman Roger Sherman (April 19, 1721 – July 23, 1793) was an American statesman, lawyer, and a Founding Father of the United States. He is the only person to sign four of the great state papers of the United States related to the founding: the Con ...

Titus Hosmer Titus Hosmer (1736 – August 4, 1780) was an American Founding Father, lawyer, and jurist from Middletown, Connecticut. He was a delegate for Connecticut to the Continental Congress in 1778, when he signed the Articles of Confederation. Biogr ...

and Adams on military movements in what is now known as the states of New England. Adams and Hosmer answered the governor's message, stating they would take the opportunity to write to Major Bigelow and keep an eye on the situation through organizing a Board of Treasury, but little progress had been made. After leaving the Continental Congress in 1778, a year later Adams had been named a member of the Connecticut executive council by Trumbull. Adams was also granted a seat as a judge that same year, and he was granted the position of chief justice in 1793, which was the position he kept till his death. Adams is buried in the west cemetery located in Litchfield.

References

External links

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Andrew Adams Papers
at the William L. Clements Library {{DEFAULTSORT:Adams, Andrew 1736 births 1797 deaths People from Stratford, Connecticut Yale University alumni Continental Congressmen from Connecticut 18th-century American politicians Signers of the Articles of Confederation Connecticut militiamen in the American Revolution Speakers of the Connecticut House of Representatives Chief Justices of the Connecticut Supreme Court Political leaders of the American Revolution Members of the Connecticut General Assembly Council of Assistants (1662–1818) Burials in Connecticut U.S. state supreme court judges admitted to the practice of law by reading law