Charles F. Adams III
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Charles Francis Adams III (August 2, 1866 – June 10, 1954) was an American lawyer and politician, who served as the 44th United States Secretary of the Navy under President Herbert Hoover from 1929 to 1933. He was skipper of the
Resolute Resolute may refer to: Geography * Resolute, Nunavut, Canada, a hamlet * Resolute Bay, Nunavut * Resolute Mountain, Alberta, Canada Military operations * Operation Resolute, the Australian Defence Force contribution to patrolling Australia's Ex ...
which won the
1920 America's Cup The 1920 America's Cup was the 13th challenge for the Cup and the first since 1903. It took place in New York Harbor and consisted of a best-of-five series of races between the defender ''Resolute'', entered by a syndicate of New York Yacht Clu ...
. Adams graduated from Harvard College in 1888 and then
Harvard Law School Harvard Law School (Harvard Law or HLS) is the law school of Harvard University, a private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest continuously operating law school in the United States. Each class ...
in 1892. After going from being a lawyer and then a businessman, he was elected mayor of Quincy in 1896 and unelected a year later. Adams married Frances Lovering in 1899 and they had 2 children. He proposed to the Congress in 1903 that the USS Constitution be restored. He was granted this wish in 1907 when they raised funds to make her open to the public again. Adams was an officer in 43 corporations at one point, including the Harvard Corporation. He then was appointed Secretary of the Navy in 1929. He promoted public understanding of the Navy's indispensable role in international affairs, and worked strenuously to maintain naval strength and efficiency during the
Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...
. In 1930, he successfully maintained the principle of United States' naval parity with Britain while serving at the
London Naval Treaty The London Naval Treaty, officially the Treaty for the Limitation and Reduction of Naval Armament, was an agreement between the United Kingdom, Japan, France, Italy, and the United States that was signed on 22 April 1930. Seeking to address is ...
. He retired from his position in 1933. It was noted by President Hoover he would've named Adams Secretary of State if he knew him from the start of his presidency.


Early life

Charles Francis Adams III was born on August 2, 1866, in
Quincy, Massachusetts Quincy ( ) is a coastal U.S. city in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. It is the largest city in the county and a part of Greater Boston, Metropolitan Boston as one of Boston's immediate southern suburbs. Its population in 2020 was 1 ...
, to Frances "Fanny" Cadwalader Crowninshield and John Quincy Adams II. Adams graduated cum laude from Harvard College in 1888, where he was a brother of the Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity (Alpha chapter). He later graduated from
Harvard Law School Harvard Law School (Harvard Law or HLS) is the law school of Harvard University, a private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest continuously operating law school in the United States. Each class ...
in 1892.Adams, Henry, Levenson, J. C., Massachusetts Historical Society, et al. ''The Letters of Henry Adams, Volumes 4 – 6, 1892–1918.'' Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1989, pp. xxxvi – xxxvii.


Career

After graduating from Harvard Law and being admitted to the bar in 1893, he was first a
lawyer A lawyer is a person who practices law. The role of a lawyer varies greatly across different legal jurisdictions. A lawyer can be classified as an advocate, attorney, barrister, canon lawyer, civil law notary, counsel, counselor, solic ...
, then went into business. From 1896 to 1897, Adams served as mayor of
Quincy, Massachusetts Quincy ( ) is a coastal U.S. city in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. It is the largest city in the county and a part of Greater Boston, Metropolitan Boston as one of Boston's immediate southern suburbs. Its population in 2020 was 1 ...
. In 1903, while serving as president of the
Massachusetts Historical Society The Massachusetts Historical Society is a major historical archive specializing in early American, Massachusetts, and New England history. The Massachusetts Historical Society was established in 1791 and is located at 1154 Boylston Street in Bost ...
, Adams proposed to Congress that the famed frigate USS '' Constitution'' be restored and returned to active service. This led to Congress authorizing funds for the restoration of ''Constitution'' and opening her to the public in 1907. In 1916, the Massachusetts legislature and electorate approved a calling of a constitutional convention. Adams was elected as a delegate at large to serve as a member of the Massachusetts Constitutional Convention of 1917. At one time, he was an officer in 43 corporations, including several banks and many of the country's largest corporations such as the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad, the Union Pacific Railroad, and the Harvard Corporation.


Secretary of the Navy

Adams was appointed Secretary of the Navy on March 5, 1929, by President Herbert Hoover. He vigorously promoted public understanding of the Navy's indispensable role in international affairs, and worked strenuously to maintain naval strength and efficiency during the
Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...
. He served at the
London Naval Treaty The London Naval Treaty, officially the Treaty for the Limitation and Reduction of Naval Armament, was an agreement between the United Kingdom, Japan, France, Italy, and the United States that was signed on 22 April 1930. Seeking to address is ...
in 1930 where he successfully maintained the principle of United States naval parity with Britain. In his memoirs, Hoover noted that, had he known Adams at the start of his presidency as well as he did at its end, he would have named Adams his Secretary of State. Adams retired from his position on March 4, 1933. Adams was a supporter of limited presidential terms, well before the
22nd Amendment The Twenty-second Amendment (Amendment XXII) to the United States Constitution limits the number of times a person is eligible for election to the office of President of the United States to two, and sets additional eligibility conditions for ...
passed, and advocated that the Presidents should be required to renounce political parties and that after they left the presidency, should be made ex-officio members of the United States Senate.


Activities and interests

In 1920, Adams skippered the
America's Cup The America's Cup, informally known as the Auld Mug, is a trophy awarded in the sport of sailing. It is the oldest international competition still operating in any sport. America's Cup match races are held between two sailing yachts: one f ...
defender ''Resolute'' and soon became known as the "Dean of American Helmsmen". He was posthumously inducted into the America's Cup Hall of Fame in 1993. In 1939, he won the
King's Cup __NOTOC__ King's Cup (incl. translations), may refer to: Sports Football * Copa del Rey, Spanish for "King's Cup," the main national knockout tournament in men's football * King Cup (sometimes named King's Cup), Saudi Arabian men's football nati ...
, Astor Cup, and Puritan Cup, the three most coveted domestic yachting trophies in a single season. In 1929, he became a member of the District of Columbia Society of the Sons of the American Revolution. His national membership number was 48,952. He was also an honorary companion of the
Naval Order of the United States The Naval Order of the United States was established in 1890 as a hereditary organization in the United States for members of the American sea services. Its primary mission is to encourage research and writing on naval and maritime subjects and pr ...
. In 1932, he was elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.


Personal life


Family

A scion of the Adams family that produced two presidents, Charles Francis Adams III, a son of John Quincy Adams II, the oldest son of the
Charles Francis Adams Sr. Charles Francis Adams Sr. (August 18, 1807 – November 21, 1886) was an American historical editor, writer, politician, and diplomat. As United States Minister to the United Kingdom during the American Civil War, Adams was crucial to Union effort ...
, was a great-grandson of the sixth U. S. President John Quincy Adams, and a great-great-grandson of the second U.S. President John Adams. His mother Fanny Crowninshield was the granddaughter of U.S. Secretary of the Navy Benjamin Williams Crowninshield. Adams was also the third cousin twice removed of
Otis Norcross Otis C. Norcross (November 2, 1811 – September 5, 1882) served as the nineteenth Mayor of Boston, Massachusetts, from January 7, 1867 to January 6, 1868 during the Reconstruction era of the United States. Norcross was a candidate (1861) for th ...
, the 19th Mayor of Boston. Both descending from their fourth great grandfather, Joseph Adams; Otis from his first wife Mary hapin and Charles from his second wife Hannah
ass Ass most commonly refers to: * Buttocks (in informal American English) * Donkey or ass, ''Equus africanus asinus'' **any other member of the subgenus ''Asinus'' Ass or ASS may also refer to: Art and entertainment * ''Ass'' (album), 1973 albu ...
Charles Francis Adams Jr. was the uncle, not the father of Charles Francis Adams III, an assumption regularly made by virtue of sequential name succession. Charles F. Adams Jr. had five children, the first three being daughters, which may explain why his brother John Q. Adams II took the prerogative to name his firstborn son after his brother. Charles, Jr.'s only sons (twins) were born in 1875.


Marriage and children

On April 3, 1899, Adams married Frances Lovering (d. 1956), the daughter of
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 ...
William C. Lovering (1835–1910),Marquis Who's Who, Inc. ''Who Was Who in American History, the Military''. Chicago: Marquis Who's Who, 1975. P. 2 at St. John's Episcopal Church in Washington, D.C. Together, they had two children: * Catherine Frances Lovering Adams in 1902, who married
Henry Sturgis Morgan Henry Sturgis Morgan Sr. (October 24, 1900 – February 8, 1982) was an American banker, known for being the co-founder of Morgan Stanley and the president and chairman of the Morgan Library & Museum. Early life and education Morgan was b ...
, son of J. P. Morgan, Jr. and one of the founders of Morgan Stanley (1935), along with Harold Stanley, on June 26, 1923. Together, they had five sons. *
Charles Francis Adams IV Charles Francis Adams IV (May 2, 1910 – January 5, 1999) was an American electronics industrialist, United States Naval officer, and great-great-great-grandson of John Adams. Early life Charles Francis Adams IV was born on May 2, 1910, in Bost ...
in 1910, who was a prominent businessman and the first president of Raytheon Company, was married firstly to Margaret tockton Their children were: Abigail Adams, Allison Adams, Charles Francis Adams V, and Timothy Adams. He married secondly, widow Mrs. Beatrice D. Penati. Adams died on June 11, 1954, and was interred in Mount Wollaston Cemetery in Quincy, Massachusetts, on June 13, 1954. His estate, valued at $192,000 in 1954, was left to his widow. In 1899 Adams built his family home and estate on land in Concord, MA formerly owned by his uncle,
Charles Francis Adams Jr Charles Francis Adams Jr. (May 27, 1835 – March 20, 1915) was an American author, historian, and railroad and park commissioner who served as the president of the Union Pacific Railroad from 1884 to 1890. He served as a colonel in the Union Arm ...
. The home, known as Mt. Vernon, stood for 120 years until it was destroyed by fire shortly after Christmas Day 2019.


Honors

''The Charles Francis Adams Memorial Trophy'' for yacht racing was established in his memory, and the Navy destroyer USS ''Charles F. Adams'' was dedicated in his honor.


Family tree


Paternal side


Maternal side


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Adams, Charles Francis 3 1866 births 1954 deaths Adams, Charles Francis III American male sailors (sport) Crowninshield family Harvard Law School alumni Massachusetts lawyers Mayors of Quincy, Massachusetts United States Secretaries of the Navy Fellows of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences Hoover administration cabinet members 20th-century American politicians Massachusetts Republicans Members of the 1917 Massachusetts Constitutional Convention Harvard College alumni America's Cup regattas