Stephen Adams (October 17, 1807May 11, 1857) was a slave owner and
United States 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 ...
(1845 to 1847) and
Senator
A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...
(1852 to 1857) from
Mississippi
Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Miss ...
.
Early years
Adams was born to David Adams, a
Baptist
Baptists form a major branch of Protestantism distinguished by baptizing professing Christian believers only (believer's baptism), and doing so by complete immersion. Baptist churches also generally subscribe to the doctrines of soul compete ...
clergyman, in
Pendleton, South Carolina
Pendleton is a town in Anderson County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 3,489 at the 2020 census. It is a sister city of Stornoway in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland.
The Pendleton Historic District, consisting of the town and i ...
, he moved with his parents to
Franklin County, Tennessee
Franklin County is a county in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is located on the eastern boundary of Middle Tennessee in the southern part of the state. As of the 2010 census, the population was 41,052. Its county seat is Winchester. Franklin ...
in 1812.
He attended the public schools, studied law, was admitted to the
bar
Bar or BAR may refer to:
Food and drink
* Bar (establishment), selling alcoholic beverages
* Candy bar
* Chocolate bar
Science and technology
* Bar (river morphology), a deposit of sediment
* Bar (tropical cyclone), a layer of cloud
* Bar (u ...
in 1829, practiced in Franklin County.
He was a slave owner.
Career
He was a member of the
Tennessee Senate
The Tennessee Senate is the upper house of the U.S. state of Tennessee's state legislature, which is known formally as the Tennessee General Assembly.
The Tennessee Senate has the power to pass resolutions concerning essentially any issue rega ...
, from 1833 to 1834, when he removed to
Aberdeen, Mississippi
Aberdeen is the county seat of Monroe County, Mississippi, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population was 5,612.
Located on the banks of the Tombigbee River, Aberdeen was one of the busiest Mississippi ports of the 19th century. Cotto ...
and commenced the practice of law. He was
circuit court judge from 1837 to 1846, and was elected as a
Democratic representative to the
Twenty-ninth Congress
The 29th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1845, ...
,
serving from March 4, 1845 to March 3, 1847. He again became a judge of the circuit court in 1848, was a member of the
Mississippi House of Representatives
The Mississippi House of Representatives is the lower house of the Mississippi Legislature, the lawmaking body of the U.S. state of Mississippi. According to the state constitution of 1890, it is to comprise no more than 122 members elected fo ...
in 1850 and was a delegate to the
State constitutional convention in 1851.
Adams was elected to the
U.S. Senate
The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States.
The composition and powe ...
on February 19, 1852, to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of
Jefferson Davis
Jefferson F. Davis (June 3, 1808December 6, 1889) was an American politician who served as the president of the Confederate States from 1861 to 1865. He represented Mississippi in the United States Senate and the House of Representatives as a ...
and served from March 17, 1852 to March 3, 1857; while in the Senate he was chairman of the Committee on Retrenchment (
Thirty-third and
Thirty-fourth Congress
The 34th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C., from March 4, 1855, ...
es).
Last years
At the close of his term he removed to
Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the seat of Shelby County in the southwest part of the state; it is situated along the Mississippi River. With a population of 633,104 at the 2020 U.S. census, Memphis is the second-mos ...
and resumed the practice of law
until he died there of smallpox on May 11, 1857
The American Almanac and Repository of Useful Knowledge, for the Year 1858
/ref> and was interred in Elmwood Cemetery.
References
Sources
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Adams, Stephen
1807 births
1857 deaths
Mississippi state court judges
Democratic Party members of the Mississippi House of Representatives
People from Aberdeen, Mississippi
Politicians from Memphis, Tennessee
People from Pendleton, South Carolina
Tennessee state senators
Democratic Party United States senators from Mississippi
19th-century American politicians
19th-century American judges
Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Mississippi