Charles Francis Adams IV (May 2, 1910 – January 5, 1999) was an American

electronics The field of electronics is a branch of physics and electrical engineering that deals with the emission, behaviour and effects of electrons using electronic devices. Electronics uses active devices to control electron flow by amplification ...

industrialist A business magnate, also known as a tycoon, is a person who has achieved immense wealth through the ownership of multiple lines of enterprise. The term characteristically refers to a powerful entrepreneur or investor who controls, through perso ...

, United States Naval officer, and great-great-great-grandson of

John Adams John Adams (October 30, 1735 – July 4, 1826) was an American statesman, attorney, diplomat, writer, and Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father who served as the second president of the United States from 1797 to 1801. Befor ...

Early life

Charles Francis Adams IV was born on May 2, 1910, in

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...

, to

United States Secretary of the Navy The secretary of the Navy (or SECNAV) is a statutory officer () and the head (chief executive officer) of the United States Department of the Navy, Department of the Navy, a military department (component organization) within the United States D ...

Charles Francis Adams III (1866–1954), thus a great-great-great-grandson of

U.S. President The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States ...

and great-great-grandson of his son John Quincy Adams. He attended St. Mark's School, graduated from

Harvard College Harvard College is the undergraduate college of Harvard University, an Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636, Harvard College is the original school of Harvard University, the oldest institution of higher lea ...

in 1932 and attended Harvard Graduate School of Business Administration. Adams was a sixth-generation Harvard legacy student (John Adams graduated from Harvard in 1755).

Career

Adams was commissioned as an ensign in the Naval Reserve on 23 June 1932 and was promoted to lieutenant (junior grade) on 23 June 1937. He served on active duty during World War II. Adams was promoted to the rank of lieutenant commander on 1 May 1943 and to commander on 1 March 1944. He took command of the destroyer escort USS ''William Seiverling'' when she was commissioned on 1 June 1944. The ''Seiverling'' conducted anti-submarine operations in the Pacific Theater, was under air attack off

Okinawa is a prefecture of Japan. Okinawa Prefecture is the southernmost and westernmost prefecture of Japan, has a population of 1,457,162 (as of 2 February 2020) and a geographic area of 2,281 km2 (880 sq mi). Naha is the capital and largest city ...

and supported the liberation of the Philippines. He left the service in 1946. He served as the first president of the Raytheon Company between 1948 and 1960, and again from 1962 to 1964. He served as its chairman between 1960 and 1962, and again from 1964 until 1972. During his tenure, Raytheon grew from a manufacturer of transistors and vacuum tubes into a maker of missiles and military-oriented radar and communications systems.

Personal life

Adams married twice. His first marriage was to Margaret Stockton by whom he had three children: Abigail, Alison, and Timothy. His second marriage was to Beatrice D. Penati by whom he had one stepson: Giannotto Penati. He had a total of nine grandchildren and 18 great-grandchildren at the time of his death, on January 5, 1999, in Dover, Massachusetts, aged 88. Adams was elected a Fellow of the

American Academy of Arts and Sciences The American Academy of Arts and Sciences (abbreviation: AAA&S) is one of the oldest learned societies in the United States. It was founded in 1780 during the American Revolution by John Adams, John Hancock, James Bowdoin, Andrew Oliver, and ...

in 1959. He was awarded honorary degrees by

Suffolk University Suffolk University is a private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. With 7,560 students (includes all campuses, 7,379 at the Boston location alone), it is the eighth-largest university in metropolitan Boston. It was founded as a l ...

, Northeastern University, Bates College, and Tufts University.

Family tree

He was first cousin to Constance Crowninshield Coolidge.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Adams, Charles Francis 4 Adams political family Crowninshield family St. Mark's School (Massachusetts) alumni 1910 births 1999 deaths Adams, Charles Francis 4 Harvard Business School alumni People from Boston Raytheon Company people Harvard College alumni