John Alfred McDowell Adair (December 22, 1864 – October 5, 1938) was an American lawyer and politician who served five terms as a

U.S. Representative 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 c ...

from

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...

from 1907 to 1917.

Biography

Born in

Portland, Indiana Portland is a city in and the county seat of Jay County, Indiana, United States. The population was 6,223 at the 2010 census, and in 2018 the estimated population was 6,085. History Portland was platted in 1837. It was named after Portland, M ...

, Adair attended the public schools and Portland High School where he engaged in mercantile pursuits and served as clerk of the city of Portland 1888–1890. He also served as clerk of Jay County 1890-1895 where he studied law. Adair was

admitted to the bar An admission to practice law is acquired when a lawyer receives a license to practice law. In jurisdictions with two types of lawyer, as with barristers and solicitors, barristers must gain admission to the bar whereas for solicitors there are dist ...

in 1895 and commenced practice in

. He served as member of the State house of representatives in 1902 and 1903. During this time, he engaged in banking, being elected president of the First National Bank of Portland in 1904.

Congress

Adair was elected as a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

to the Sixtieth and to the four succeeding Congresses (March 4, 1907 – March 3, 1917). He served as chairman of the Committee on Expenditures in the Department of War ( Sixty-third and Sixty-fourth Congresses). However, he did not seek renomination in 1916, but was an unsuccessful Democratic nominee for Governor of Indiana.

Later career and death

Afterward, he resumed the banking business in

. Later, he moved to

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, ...

, in 1924 and served as vice president of Southern Dairies (Inc.) until 1931. He also served as chairman of the board of the Finance Service Co., in

Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

from 1933 to 1935, and served as vice president of the Atlas Tack Corporation in

Fairhaven, Massachusetts Fairhaven (Massachusett: ) is a town in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States. It is located on the South Coast of Massachusetts where the Acushnet River flows into Buzzards Bay, an arm of the Atlantic Ocean. The town shares a harbor wit ...

from 1935 to 1937. Adair also served as director of the Artloom Corporation,

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

, in 1937. He died in

, October 5, 1938. and was interred in Green Park Cemetery.

References

1864 births 1938 deaths People from Portland, Indiana Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Indiana Burials in Indiana {{Indiana-politician-stub