Weston Adams II (born September 16, 1938) is an American

diplomat A diplomat (from grc, δίπλωμα; romanized ''diploma'') is a person appointed by a state or an intergovernmental institution such as the United Nations or the European Union to conduct diplomacy with one or more other states or internati ...

, politician, and lawyer in

Columbia, South Carolina Columbia is the capital of the U.S. state of South Carolina. With a population of 136,632 at the 2020 census, it is the second-largest city in South Carolina. The city serves as the county seat of Richland County, and a portion of the city ...

Early life and education

Adams was born in Columbia, South Carolina, the son of Robert Adams IV and Helen Hayes Calhoun. He graduated from the University of South Carolina and from the

University of South Carolina School of Law The University of South Carolina School of Law, also known as South Carolina Law School, is a professional school within the University of South Carolina. The school of law was founded in 1867, and remains the only public and non-profit law schoo ...

Military and political service

Following graduation from law school, Adams served in the

Judge Advocate General's Corps The Judge Advocate General's Corps, also known as JAG or JAG Corps, is the military justice branch or specialty of the United States Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, Marine Corps and Navy. Officers serving in the JAG Corps are typically called judg ...

of The

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Signal ...

from 1963-1966. Adams served in the

United States Air Force Reserves The Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC) is a major command (MAJCOM) of the United States Air Force, with its headquarters at Robins Air Force Base, Georgia. It is the federal Air Reserve Component (ARC) of the U.S. Air Force, consisting of commis ...

from 1966-1973, and reached the rank of

Major General Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...

in the Military Department of South Carolina (2000-2010). Adams served in the

South Carolina House of Representatives The South Carolina House of Representatives is the lower house of the South Carolina General Assembly. It consists of 124 representatives elected to two-year terms at the same time as U.S. congressional elections. Unlike many legislatures, seati ...

from 1972-1974. In 1980, Adams served as a Presidential Elector in the

U.S. Electoral College The United States Electoral College is the group of presidential electors required by the Constitution to form every four years for the sole purpose of appointing the president and vice president. Each state and the District of Columbia appo ...

. He was a Delegate to the

Republican National Convention The Republican National Convention (RNC) is a series of presidential nominating conventions held every four years since 1856 by the United States Republican Party. They are administered by the Republican National Committee. The goal of the Repu ...

in 1976, 1980, 1988, and 1992.

Diplomatic service

In 1982, Ambassador Adams served as a member of the United States Presidential Delegation to the Inauguration of President

Salvador Jorge Blanco José Salvador Omar Jorge Blanco (July 5, 1926 – December 26, 2010) was a politician, lawyer and a writer. He was President of the Dominican Republic, from 1982 to 1986. He was a Senator running for the PRD party. He started his political care ...

of the

Dominican Republic The Dominican Republic ( ; es, República Dominicana, ) is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean region. It occupies the eastern five-eighths of the island, which it shares wit ...

with the rank of ''Special Ambassador''. The Delegation was led by Ambassador

Ellsworth Bunker Ellsworth F. Bunker (May 11, 1894 – September 27, 1984) was an American businessman and diplomat (including being the ambassador to Argentina, Italy, India, Nepal and South Vietnam). He is perhaps best known for being a hawk on the war in Vietn ...

, former Ambassador to Italy, India, Argentina, and South Vietnam. Ambassador Adams served on the U.S. National Commission to

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

(United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) from 1982–1984, and he also served on The

Council of American Ambassadors The Council of American Ambassadors (CAA) is an association of non-career United States ambassadors. A nonprofit and nonpartisan organization, the CAA comprises over 200 members whose ambassadorial service collectively extends over five decades ...

. Under President

Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan ( ; February 6, 1911June 5, 2004) was an American politician, actor, and union leader who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He also served as the 33rd governor of California from 1967 ...

, Adams served as

U.S. Ambassador Ambassadors of the United States are persons nominated by the President of the United States, president to serve as the country's diplomat, diplomatic representatives to foreign nations, international organizations, and as Ambassador-at-large, ...

to the

Republic of Malawi A republic () is a "state in which power rests with the people or their representatives; specifically a state without a monarchy" and also a "government, or system of government, of such a state." Previously, especially in the 17th and 18th c ...

in southern Africa from 1984-1986. he was a member of the Wilson Council of the

Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars The Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars (or Wilson Center) is a quasi-government entity and think tank which conducts research to inform public policy. Located in the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center in Washi ...

Legal work

Adams is the managing partner of the Weston Adams Law Firm in

. Adams served as Associate Counsel to the Select Committee on Crime of 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 1970-1971. The U.S. House Select Committee on Crime was established by Congressman

Claude Pepper Claude Denson Pepper (September 8, 1900 – May 30, 1989) was an American politician of the Democratic Party, and a spokesman for left-liberalism and the elderly. He represented Florida in the United States Senate from 1936 to 1951, and the Mia ...

of Florida.

Film work

Adams is an owner of

Solar Filmworks Solar Filmworks is a film production company which produced '' The Last Confederate: The Story of Robert Adams'' (2007) which stars Julian Adams, Amy Redford, Mickey Rooney, and Tippi Hedren, and was produced by Weston Adams (ambassador) and Juli ...

as a

film producer A film producer is a person who oversees film production. Either employed by a production company or working independently, producers plan and coordinate various aspects of film production, such as selecting the script, coordinating writing, di ...

. He produced and wrote the feature film, '' The Last Confederate: The Story of Robert Adams'' (2007) with his son

Julian Adams Julian Calhoun Adams II is an American producer, writer, actor, and architect. Early life and education He is the son of Weston Adams and Elizabeth Nelson Adams, and was born in Columbia, South Carolina. He spent his childhood in South Caroli ...

. The film is a North-South love story about

Confederate Confederacy or confederate may refer to: States or communities * Confederate state or confederation, a union of sovereign groups or communities * Confederate States of America, a confederation of secessionist American states that existed between 1 ...

Captain Robert Adams II, his great grandfather, and his great grandmother, Eveline McCord (Adams) of Philadelphia (the great grandniece of

Betsy Ross Elizabeth Griscom Ross (née Griscom;Addie Guthrie Weaver, ''"The Story of Our Flag..."'', 2nd Edition, A. G. Weaver, publ., 1898, p. 73 January 1, 1752 – January 30, 1836), also known by her second and third married names, Ashburn an ...

). '' The Last Confederate: The Story of Robert Adams'' also stars

Amy Redford Amy Hart Redford (born October 22, 1970) is an American actress and filmmaker. Early life Amy Redford's parents are historian and environmental activist Lola Van Wagenen and film director and actor Robert Redford. She received her BA in D ...

Mickey Rooney Mickey Rooney (born Joseph Yule Jr.; other pseudonym Mickey Maguire; September 23, 1920 – April 6, 2014) was an American actor. In a career spanning nine decades, he appeared in more than 300 films and was among the last surviving stars of the ...

Tippi Hedren Nathalie Kay "Tippi" Hedren (born January 19, 1930) is an American actress, animal rights activist, and former fashion model. A successful fashion model who appeared on the front covers of ''Life'' and '' Glamour'' magazines, among others, Hed ...

Edwin McCain Edwin Cole McCain (born January 20, 1970) is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. His songs " I'll Be" (1998) and "I Could Not Ask for More" (1999) were radio top-40 hits in the U.S., and five of his albums have reached the ''Billboard ...

, and Bob Dorian. It was released in 2007 by ThinkFilm, and won 10 awards on the

film festival A film festival is an organized, extended presentation of films in one or more cinemas or screening venues, usually in a single city or region. Increasingly, film festivals show some films outdoors. Films may be of recent date and, depending upon ...

circuit.

Honors

In 2006 Adams was made Knight of Grace in The

Venerable Order of Saint John The Order of St John, short for Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem (french: l'ordre très vénérable de l'Hôpital de Saint-Jean de Jérusalem) and also known as St John International, is a British royal order of ...

Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. She was queen ...

. In 2007 The University of South Carolina awarded Adams with an honorary doctoral degree. Adams was granted the

Order of the Palmetto The Order of the Palmetto is the highest civilian honor awarded by the Governor of South Carolina. It is awarded to South Carolinians who demonstrate extraordinary lifetime achievement, service and contributions of national or statewide significance ...

by the

Governor of South Carolina The governor of South Carolina is the head of government of South Carolina. The governor is the '' ex officio'' commander-in-chief of the National Guard when not called into federal service. The governor's responsibilities include making year ...

in 1974. Adams was made Knight Grand Cross of the Imperial Order of The Holy Trinity (Imperial Ethiopia), and was made Knight Grand Cross of The Imperial Order of Emperor Menelik II (

Order of Menelik II The Imperial Order of Emperor Menelik II is an Ethiopian order established in 1924 by then-Regent Tafari Makonnen, during the reign of Empress Zewditu I, in order to honor the memory of Emperor Menelik II. The Imperial Order was often referred t ...

, Imperial Ethiopia), by Prince

Ermias Sahle Selassie Prince Ermias Sahle Selassie (born 14 June 1960 in Addis Ababa) is the only son of Prince Sahle Selassie of Ethiopian Empire, Ethiopia and Princess Mahisente Habte Mariam. He is the grandson of Emperor Haile Selassie of Ethiopian Empire, Ethiop ...

, grandson of Emperor

Haile Selassie Haile Selassie I ( gez, ቀዳማዊ ኀይለ ሥላሴ, Qädamawi Häylä Səllasé, ; born Tafari Makonnen; 23 July 189227 August 1975) was Emperor of Ethiopia from 1930 to 1974. He rose to power as Regent Plenipotentiary of Ethiopia (' ...

Ethiopia Ethiopia, , om, Itiyoophiyaa, so, Itoobiya, ti, ኢትዮጵያ, Ítiyop'iya, aa, Itiyoppiya officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country in the Horn of Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the ...

. Adams is a direct descendant of

's sister and is a scholar on Betsy Ross.

Notes and references

References

* Venerable Order of Saint John - Weston Adam

Weston Adams Law Firm

Council of American Ambassadors: Weston Adams

Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars: Weston Adams

The American Presidency Project: President Ronald Reagan's Nomination of Weston Adams

''The Last Confederate: The Story of Robert Adams'' Official Site

External links

Weston Adams Law Firm

Council of American Ambassadors: Weston Adams

Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars: Weston Adams

The American Presidency Project: President Ronald Reagan's Nomination of Weston Adams

''The Last Confederate: The Story of Robert Adams'' Official Site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Adams, Weston II Ambassadors of the United States to Malawi Living people Members of the South Carolina House of Representatives Politicians from Columbia, South Carolina Lawyers from Columbia, South Carolina 1938 births 20th-century American diplomats 20th-century American politicians