Thomas Adams (1730 – August 1788) was a politician and businessman from

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

. One of the

Founding Fathers of the United States The Founding Fathers of the United States, known simply as the Founding Fathers or Founders, were a group of late-18th-century American Revolution, American revolutionary leaders who United Colonies, united the Thirteen Colonies, oversaw the Am ...

, he was a delegate of the Continental Congress and signed the Articles of Confederation.

Early years

Adams was born in

New Kent County, Virginia New Kent County is a county in the eastern part the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 United States Census, its population was 22,945. Its county seat is New Kent. New Kent County is included in the Greater Richmond Region. History N ...

, about 1730, son of Ebenezer Adams and Tabitha Cocke. His father was a native of

London, England London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a major s ...

, who settled in Virginia previous to 1714 and received grants in Henrico and New Kent counties. Adams attended there the common schools.US Congress, id: A000049

Career

His first political position was as a clerk of Henrico County and

vestryman A vestryman is a member of his local church's vestry, or leading body.Anstice, Henry (1914). ''What Every Warden and Vestryman Should Know.'' Church literature press He is not a member of the clergy.Potter, Henry Codman (1890). ''The Offices of Wa ...

of that parish, from 1757 to 1761, and later a member of the Virginia

House of Burgesses The House of Burgesses was the elected representative element of the Virginia General Assembly, the legislative body of the Colony of Virginia. With the creation of the House of Burgesses in 1642, the General Assembly, which had been establishe ...

, and church warden until 1762. Adams had extensive business interests in England and resided there from 1762 to around 1774. In 1774, he resumed his residence in Virginia before the outbreak of the

American Revolution The American Revolution was an ideological and political revolution that occurred in British America between 1765 and 1791. The Americans in the Thirteen Colonies formed independent states that defeated the British in the American Revoluti ...

. He became chairman of the New Kent County Committee of Safety and signed the

Virginia Association The Virginia Association was a series of non-importation agreements adopted by Virginians in 1769 as a way of speeding economic recovery and opposing the Townshend Acts. Drafted by George Mason and passed by the Virginia House of Burgesses in May 1 ...

entered into by the House of Burgesses, on May 27, 1774. Adams was chosen as a delegate from Virginia to the Continental Congress in 1778 and 1779, and signed the Articles of Confederation.

Later years

In 1780, Adams moved to Augusta County, Virginia, where he was elected to the

Virginia State Senate The Senate of Virginia is the upper house of the Virginia General Assembly. The Senate is composed of 40 senators representing an equal number of single-member constituent districts. The Senate is presided over by the lieutenant governor of Virg ...

in the 9th, 10th and 11th legislatures, from 1784 to 1787. He married Elizabeth (Fauntleroy) Cocke, widow of his cousin, Bowler Cocke. Adams died on his estate, "Cowpasture", in Augusta County, in August 1788. Some other sources report that he died in October 1788.

References

Sources

* Attribution * {{DEFAULTSORT:Adams, Thomas Founding Fathers of the United States House of Burgesses members Signers of the Articles of Confederation Continental Congressmen from Virginia American people of English descent 18th-century American politicians 1730 births 1788 deaths