Edgar Jacob Adams (August 6, 1866 – May 23, 1944) was a Republican member of the

Michigan House of Representatives The Michigan House of Representatives is the lower house of the Michigan Legislature. There are 110 members, each of whom is elected from constituencies having approximately 77,000 to 91,000 residents, based on population figures from the 2010 ...

from 1897 through 1900. He served as Speaker of the House during the 40th Legislature. Adams was born in August 1866 to George and Margaret Adams. At age 6, the family moved to a farm in

Monroe County Monroe County may refer to seventeen counties in the United States, all named for James Monroe: * Monroe County, Alabama *Monroe County, Arkansas * Monroe County, Florida * Monroe County, Georgia *Monroe County, Illinois *Monroe County, Indian ...

, where he attended school, and again, six years later, the family moved to a farm in

Gratiot County Gratiot County ( ') is a county in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 41,761. The county seat is Ithaca, although its most populous city is Alma. Gratiot County comprises the Alma, MI Micropolitan Statistica ...

. Adams' father was a distant relative of John and John Quincy Adams. He taught one term of school at age 17, later becoming employed by Hopkins & Lyon in Mt. Pleasant. Adams taught himself in the law and, after moving to

Grand Rapids Grand Rapids is a city and county seat of Kent County in the U.S. state of Michigan. At the 2020 census, the city had a population of 198,917 which ranks it as the second most-populated city in the state after Detroit. Grand Rapids is the ...

in 1892, was admitted to the bar in 1894. Adams' re-election in 1898 was not without controversy as he was opposed by Governor

Hazen S. Pingree Hazen Stuart Pingree (August 30, 1840 – June 18, 1901) was a four-term Republican mayor of Detroit (1889–1897) and the 24th Governor of the U.S. State of Michigan (1897–1901). A Yankee who migrated from New England, he was a successful Rep ...

and members of his own political party. His election as Speaker in 1899 was similarly fraught, and described as "one of the most bitter and determined fights ever witnessed."Kent County Michigan GenWeb Project
Edgar J. Adams
/ref> Adams served as a delegate to the convention which drafted the 1908 Michigan Constitution. He was a member of the

Knights of Pythias The Knights of Pythias is a fraternal organization and secret society founded in Washington, D.C., on . The Knights of Pythias is the first fraternal organization to receive a charter under an act of the United States Congress. It was founded ...

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{{commons category 1866 births People from Branch County, Michigan Michigan lawyers Republican Party members of the Michigan House of Representatives Speakers of the Michigan House of Representatives 19th-century American lawyers 20th-century American lawyers 19th-century American politicians 20th-century American politicians 1944 deaths