Henry Cullen Adams (November 28, 1850 – July 9, 1906) was an American
farmer
A farmer is a person engaged in agriculture, raising living organisms for food or raw materials. The term usually applies to people who do some combination of raising field crops, orchards, vineyards, poultry, or other livestock. A farmer mig ...
, public administrator, and
U.S. Congressman
The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...
from
Wisconsin
Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...
, best known for his support of
pure food laws.
Biography
Adams was born in
Verona, New York
Verona (called ''Te-o-na-ta-le'', "''pine forest''" by the Haudenosaunee) is a town in southwestern Oneida County, New York, United States. The population was 6,293 at the 2010 census. The town was named after Verona, Italy.
Verona is located so ...
to
Hamilton College
Hamilton College is a private liberal arts college in Clinton, Oneida County, New York. It was founded as Hamilton-Oneida Academy in 1793 and was chartered as Hamilton College in 1812 in honor of inaugural trustee Alexander Hamilton, following ...
professor
Benjamin Franklin Adams and Caroline Shepard,
but moved to his father's farm in
Jefferson County, Wisconsin
Jefferson County is a county in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census, the population was 84,900. Its county seat is Jefferson. Jefferson County comprises the Watertown- Fort Atkinson, WI Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is a ...
, when he was an infant. The family moved again a few years later to southeastern
Dane County, Wisconsin
Dane County is a county in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census, the population was 561,504, making it the second-most populous county in Wisconsin. The county seat is Madison, which is also the state capital.
Dane County is the ...
. His father was elected to the
Wisconsin State Assembly
The Wisconsin State Assembly is the lower house of the Wisconsin Legislature. Together with the smaller Wisconsin Senate, the two constitute the legislative branch of the U.S. state of Wisconsin.
Representatives are elected for two-year terms, ...
for that area and served in the Assembly in 1862 and 1872.
Adams attended
Albion Academy and then the
University of Wisconsin–Madison
A university () is an educational institution, institution of higher education, higher (or Tertiary education, tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several Discipline (academia), academic disciplines. Universities ty ...
, but withdrew for health reasons before earning a degree. After marrying Anne Burkley Norton in 1878, he operated a successful dairy and fruit farm and served as president of the Wisconsin Dairymen's Association. He was elected to the Wisconsin State Assembly in 1882, representing the same geographic area that his father had represented, though the districts had been
reapportioned. He was re-elected in 1883 and in 1884—the first year that Assemblymembers were elected to two-year terms. He left office in 1887 and became a member of the Wisconsin Board of Agriculture (1887–95). He also held the offices of Wisconsin Superintendent of Public Property (1889–91) and Food and Dairy Commissioner (1898-1902).
In 1902, Adams was elected to the
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the Lower house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...
from
Wisconsin's 2nd congressional district
Wisconsin's 2nd congressional district is a congressional district of the United States House of Representatives in southern Wisconsin, covering Dane County, Iowa County, Lafayette County, Sauk County and Green County, as well as portions of ...
. He served in the
58th United States Congress
The 58th 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, DC, from March 4, 1903, to ...
and was reelected to the
59th Congress serving until his death (March 4, 1903 - July 9, 1906). He was a progressive
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 ...
and supporter of
Robert M. "Fighting Bob" La Follette. In Congress, he worked for passage of the
Federal Meat Inspection Act
The Federal Meat Inspection Act of 1906 (FMIA) is an American law that makes it illegal to adulterate or misbrand meat and meat products being sold as food, and ensures that meat and meat products are slaughtered and processed under strictly r ...
and the
Pure Food and Drug Act
The Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906, also known as Dr. Wiley's Law, was the first of a series of significant consumer protection laws which was enacted by Congress in the 20th century and led to the creation of the Food and Drug Administration. ...
. He died of intestinal illness in 1906 in Chicago, while en route from
Washington, D.C.
)
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
, to his home in Wisconsin. He is buried in
Madison, Wisconsin
Madison is the county seat of Dane County and the capital city of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census the population was 269,840, making it the second-largest city in Wisconsin by population, after Milwaukee, and the 80th-lar ...
.
See also
*
References
Sources
*
American National Biography
The ''American National Biography'' (ANB) is a 24-volume biographical encyclopedia set that contains about 17,400 entries and 20 million words, first published in 1999 by Oxford University Press under the auspices of the American Council of Le ...
, vol. 1, p. 93.
Wisconsin Historical Society biography*
Henry Cullen Adams, late a representative from Wisconsin, Memorial addresses delivered in the House of Representatives and Senate frontispiece 1907
{{DEFAULTSORT:Adams, Henry Cullen
1850 births
1906 deaths
People from Verona, New York
Republican Party members of the Wisconsin State Assembly
Farmers from Wisconsin
University of Wisconsin–Madison alumni
Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Wisconsin
19th-century American politicians