Elmer Bragg Adams (October 27, 1842 – October 24, 1916) was a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit and of the United States Circuit Courts for the Eighth Circuit and previously was a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri.

Education and career

Adams was born on October 27, 1842, in Pomfret, Vermont, a lineal descendant of

Henry Adams Henry Brooks Adams (February 16, 1838 – March 27, 1918) was an American historian and a member of the Adams political family, descended from two U.S. Presidents. As a young Harvard graduate, he served as secretary to his father, Charles Fra ...

of Braintree, Massachusetts. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Yale University in 1865 and graduated from

Harvard Law School Harvard Law School (Harvard Law or HLS) is the law school of Harvard University, a private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest continuously operating law school in the United States. Each class ...

in 1868. He was a teacher for the American Union Commission in Georgia from 1865 to 1866, and then engaged in the private practice of law in St. Louis, Missouri, from 1866 to 1879. He was a state court judge of the St. Louis Circuit Court from 1879 to 1884, thereafter returning to private practice in St. Louis until 1895. He also received the degree LL.D. from the University of Missouri in 1896.

Federal judicial service

Adams received a recess appointment from President Grover Cleveland on May 17, 1895, to a seat on the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri vacated by Judge

Henry Samuel Priest Henry Samuel Priest (February 7, 1853 – July 9, 1930) was a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri. Education and career Born in Ralls County, Missouri, Priest received an Artiu ...

. He was nominated to the same position by President Cleveland on December 4, 1895. He was confirmed by the United States Senate on December 9, 1895, and received his commission the same day. His service terminated on May 29, 1905, due to his elevation to the Eighth Circuit. Adams received a recess appointment from President Theodore Roosevelt on May 20, 1905, to a joint seat on the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit and the United States Circuit Courts for the Eighth Circuit vacated by Judge

Amos Madden Thayer Amos Madden Thayer (October 10, 1841 – April 24, 1905) was a United States federal judge, United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit and of the United States circuit court, United States Circuit Cour ...

. He was nominated to the same position by President Roosevelt on December 5, 1905. He was confirmed by the Senate on December 12, 1905, and received his commission the same day. On December 31, 1911, the Circuit Courts were abolished and he thereafter served only on the Court of Appeals. His service terminated on October 24, 1916, due to his death in St. Louis.

Personal life

Adams was married to Emma Richmond of

Woodstock, Vermont Woodstock is the shire town (county seat) of Windsor County, Vermont, United States. As of the 2020 census, the town population was 3,005. It includes the villages of Woodstock, South Woodstock, Taftsville, and West Woodstock. History Chart ...

in 1870.

References

Sources

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Adams, Elmer B. 1842 births 1916 deaths People from Pomfret, Vermont Yale University alumni Harvard Law School alumni Missouri state court judges Judges of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri Judges of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit United States federal judges appointed by Grover Cleveland 19th-century American judges United States court of appeals judges appointed by Theodore Roosevelt 20th-century American judges Judges of the United States circuit courts