Charles J. Adams (February 17, 1917 – May 16, 2008) was a Vermont attorney whose career included an interim appointment as

Vermont Attorney General The Vermont Attorney General is a statewide elected executive official in the U.S. state of Vermont who is elected every two years. It was created by an act of the Vermont General Assembly in 1790, repealed in 1797, and revived in 1904. The office ...

Biography

Charles Jairus Adams was born in

Randolph, Vermont Randolph is a town in Orange County, Vermont, United States. The population was 4,774 at the 2020 census, making Randolph the largest town in Orange County. The town is a commercial center for many of the smaller, rural farming communities that s ...

on February 17, 1917, the son of

Charles Bayley Adams Charles Bayley Adams (September 2, 1887 – February 6, 1961) was a Vermont politician, judge and attorney who served as President of the Vermont State Senate and a justice of the Vermont Supreme Court. Early life Charles Bayley Adams was bor ...

and Jeanette (Metzger) Adams. His father served as an Associate Justice of the

Vermont Supreme Court The Vermont Supreme Court is the highest judicial authority of the U.S. state of Vermont. Unlike most other states, the Vermont Supreme Court hears appeals directly from the trial courts, as Vermont has no intermediate appeals court. The Court ...

from 1949 to 1961. Adams was raised and educated in

Waterbury Waterbury is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut on the Naugatuck River, southwest of Hartford and northeast of New York City. Waterbury is the second-largest city in New Haven County, Connecticut. According to the 2020 US Census, in 202 ...

, and graduated from

Norwich University Norwich University – The Military College of Vermont is a private senior military college in Northfield, Vermont. It is the oldest private and senior military college in the United States and offers bachelor's and master's degrees on-campus ...

in 1939. Adams joined the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

for

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

and served as a

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

with the 3rd Armored Division during combat in the

European Theater of Operations The European Theater of Operations, United States Army (ETOUSA) was a Theater of Operations responsible for directing United States Army operations throughout the European theatre of World War II, from 1942 to 1945. It commanded Army Ground For ...

. On July 5, 1942 he married Mary Ella Tobey of

Belmont, Massachusetts Belmont is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts. It is a western suburb of Boston, Massachusetts, United States; and is part of the Greater Boston metropolitan area. At the time of the 2020 U.S. Census, the town's population stood at 27,295 ...

; they were married in

Leesville, Louisiana Leesville is a city in, and the parish seat of, Vernon Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 6,612 at the 2010 United States Census. It is part of the Fort Polk South Micropolitan Statistical Area and is additionally served by th ...

while Adams was stationed at

Camp Beauregard Camp Beauregard is a U.S. Army installation located northeast of Pineville, Louisiana, primarily in Rapides Parish, but also extending northward into Grant Parish. It is operated and owned by the Louisiana National Guard as one of their main t ...

prior to his unit's departure for Europe. In 1951 Adams graduated from the

Boston University School of Law Boston University School of Law (Boston Law or BU Law) is the law school of Boston University, a private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. It is consistently ranked among the top law schools in the United States and considered an eli ...

and became an attorney, first in Montpelier and later in Waterbury. A

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

in politics, he was active in local government including Waterbury village trustee and president, and member of the town of Waterbury's school board. He was also involved in several civic and fraternal organizations, including the

Masons Mason may refer to: Occupations * Mason, brick mason, or bricklayer, a craftsman who lays bricks to construct brickwork, or who lays any combination of stones, bricks, cinder blocks, or similar pieces * Stone mason, a craftsman in the stone-cutt ...

and

Shriners Shriners International, formally known as the Ancient Arabic Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine (AAONMS), is an American Masonic society established in 1870 and is headquartered in Tampa, Florida. Shriners International describes itself ...

, the Norwich University Alumni Association and the Norwich University Cemetery Board of Trustees. In December 1961, Governor F. Ray Keyser announced that he would appoint Adams as

to fill the vacancy left by the resignation of

Thomas M. Debevoise Thomas M. Debevoise (August 10, 1929 – February 1, 1995) was a Vermont attorney who served as Vermont Attorney General from 1960 to 1962. Biography Thomas McElrath Debevoise 2d was born in New York City on August 10, 1929. He was the son of p ...

. Adams assumed the office on January 2, 1962, and served until the end of Debevoise's term in January 1963. He did not run for a full term in 1962, and was succeeded by Charles E. Gibson, Jr, who had served as his deputy. Adams continued practicing law, and later moved to

South Burlington South Burlington is a city in Chittenden County, Vermont, United States. Along with neighboring Burlington, it is a principal city of the Burlington metropolitan area. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the population was 20,292. It is home to the head ...

. He died on May 16, 2008 at the Vermont Respite House in Williston. He was survived by his daughters Mary Jean Sturgis and Carol Allen.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Adams, Charles J. 1917 births 2008 deaths People from Randolph, Vermont Vermont lawyers Vermont Attorneys General United States Army personnel of World War II Norwich University alumni Boston University School of Law alumni Republican Party members of the Vermont House of Representatives Burials in Vermont United States Army officers 20th-century American politicians 20th-century American lawyers