William Addams (April 11, 1777 – May 30, 1858) was an American politician who served as a Pennsylvania State Representative and

United States Congressman 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 ...

, serving two terms in the

U.S. House 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 ...

from 1825 to 1829.

Life and career

Addams was born in

Lancaster County, Pennsylvania Lancaster County (; Pennsylvania Dutch: Lengeschder Kaundi), sometimes nicknamed the Garden Spot of America or Pennsylvania Dutch Country, is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It is located in the south central part of Pennsylvania. ...

in 1777. He moved to

Berks County, Pennsylvania Berks County ( Pennsylvania German: ''Barricks Kaundi'') is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 428,849. The county seat is Reading. The Schuylkill River, a tributary of the Delaware Ri ...

near

Reading Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of Letter (alphabet), letters, symbols, etc., especially by Visual perception, sight or Somatosensory system, touch. For educators and researchers, reading is a multifaceted process invo ...

, and served as

auditor An auditor is a person or a firm appointed by a company to execute an audit.Practical Auditing, Kul Narsingh Shrestha, 2012, Nabin Prakashan, Nepal To act as an auditor, a person should be certified by the regulatory authority of accounting and au ...

there in 1813 and 1814. He then served on the Berks County commission from 1814 through 1817. In 1822, he was elected to the

Pennsylvania House of Representatives The Pennsylvania House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameral Pennsylvania General Assembly, the legislature of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. There are 203 members, elected for two-year terms from single member districts. It ...

, serving in that body through 1824.

Congress and later career

In 1825, he won election to the

United States Congress The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is bicameral, composed of a lower body, the House of Representatives, and an upper body, the Senate. It meets in the U.S. Capitol in Washing ...

as a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

, where he served through 1829. Upon leaving the Congress, he served on the commission for the Deaf and Blind Institution for the states of New York and Ohio. He also served as an associate judge of Berks County from 1839 through 1842, and as a captain in the Reading City Troop. Outside of government, he worked pursuing farm interests.

Death

He died in Spring Township, Pennsylvania, in 1858, and is buried in St. John's Church Cemetery, in

Sinking Spring, Pennsylvania Sinking Spring is a borough in Berks County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 4,008 at the 2010 census. Sinking Spring was given its name for a spring located in the center of town. The water in this spring would sink into the grou ...

References

* ''Who Was Who in America: Historical Volume, 1607–1896.'' Chicago: Marquis Who's Who, 1963. * 1777 births 1858 deaths Democratic Party members of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives Pennsylvania state court judges People from Berks County, Pennsylvania Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Pennsylvania People from Lancaster County, Pennsylvania Jacksonian members of the United States House of Representatives from Pennsylvania 19th-century American politicians {{Pennsylvania-Representative-stub