William E. Adams (December 25, 1922 – April 1983) was an American lawyer and politician from

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

Life

He was born on December 25, 1922, in Knightstown,

Henry County, Indiana Henry County is a county located in east central Indiana, United States. As of 2020, the population was 48,914. The county seat and largest and only city is New Castle. Henry County is the main setting of the novel '' Raintree County'' by Ross ...

. He attended Knightstown High School, and took a pre-law course at

Indiana University Bloomington Indiana University Bloomington (IU Bloomington, Indiana University, IU, or simply Indiana) is a public university, public research university in Bloomington, Indiana. It is the flagship university, flagship campus of Indiana University and, with ...

. He graduated

LL.B Bachelor of Laws ( la, Legum Baccalaureus; LL.B.) is an undergraduate law degree in the United Kingdom and most common law jurisdictions. Bachelor of Laws is also the name of the law degree awarded by universities in the People's Republic of Chi ...

from the

University of Buffalo Law School The University at Buffalo School of Law (also known as State University of New York at Buffalo Law School, or SUNY Buffalo Law School) is a graduate professional school at the University at Buffalo. Founded in 1887 and affiliate with Niagara Univ ...

. He practiced law in

Buffalo, New York Buffalo is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of New York (behind only New York City) and the seat of Erie County. It is at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of the Niagara River, and is across the Canadian border from South ...

, and lived in Kenmore. He married Jacquela Devlin (1926–2005), and they had four children. Adams was a member of the

New York State Assembly The New York State Assembly is the lower house of the New York State Legislature, with the New York State Senate being the upper house. There are 150 seats in the Assembly. Assembly members serve two-year terms without term limits. The Assem ...

(Erie Co., 2nd D.) from 1957 to 1964, sitting in the 171st, 172nd, 173rd and

174th New York State Legislature The 174th New York State Legislature, consisting of the New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly, met from January 9, 1963, to December 30, 1964, during the fifth and sixth years of Nelson Rockefeller's governorship, in Albany. Ba ...

s. In November 1964, he ran for re-election, but was defeated by Democrat F. James Kane, Jr. Adams was a member of the

New York State Senate The New York State Senate is the upper house of the New York State Legislature; the New York State Assembly is its lower house. Its members are elected to two-year terms; there are no term limits. There are 63 seats in the Senate. Partisan com ...

from 1966 to 1970, sitting in the 176th, 177th and

178th New York State Legislature The 178th New York State Legislature, consisting of the New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly, met from January 8, 1969, to April 20, 1970, during the eleventh and twelfth years of Nelson Rockefeller's governorship, in Albany. ...

s. On December 12, 1969, he was indicted by a federal grand jury for perjury because he had denied under oath that he received a bribe of $5,000. His trial began on March 30, 1971, and he was acquitted on March 7. In November 1970, Adams ran for re-election, but was defeated by Democrat

John J. LaFalce John Joseph LaFalce (born October 6, 1939) is an American politician who served as a Congressman from the state of New York from 1975 to 2003. He retired in 2002 after his district was merged with that of a fellow Democrat. LaFalce was first ele ...

. On December 29, 1970, Adams was appointed as General Counsel to the New York State Board of Standards and Appeals. In 1971, he moved to Albany. He died in April 1983."William E. Adams"
at

The Political Graveyard The Political Graveyard is a website and database that catalogues information on more than 277,000 American political figures and political families, along with other information. The name comes from the website's inclusion of burial locations of ...

Sources

{{DEFAULTSORT:Adams, William E. 1922 births 1983 deaths People from Henry County, Indiana Republican Party New York (state) state senators Republican Party members of the New York State Assembly People from Kenmore, New York Indiana University Bloomington alumni University at Buffalo Law School alumni 20th-century American politicians