William Charles Adamson (August 13, 1854 – January 3, 1929) was a

United States 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 ...

from

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

, an

Associate Justice Associate justice or associate judge (or simply associate) is a judicial panel member who is not the chief justice in some jurisdictions. The title "Associate Justice" is used for members of the Supreme Court of the United States and some state ...

of the

United States Customs Court The United States Court of International Trade (case citations: Int'l Trade or Intl. Trade) is a U.S. federal court that adjudicates civil actions arising out of U.S. customs and international trade laws. Seated in New York City, it exercises ...

and a member of the

Board of General Appraisers The United States Court of International Trade (case citations: Int'l Trade or Intl. Trade) is a Federal judiciary of the United States, U.S. federal court that adjudicates civil actions arising out of U.S. customs and International trade law, ...

Early years and family

Adamson was born on August 13, 1854, in Bowdon,

, son of John W. Adamson and Mary A. McDaniel, and grandson of William C. Adamson, and of John McDaniel. He attended the common schools. His youth was spent on a farm and in hauling cotton and goods between

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

and

Bowdoin, Maine Bowdoin is a town in Sagadahoc County, Maine, United States. The population was 3,136 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Portland– South Portland–Biddeford, Maine metropolitan statistical area. History Bowdoin was part of a tra ...

. He was married on January 29, 1885, to Minna Reese of

Carrollton, Georgia Carrollton, Georgia is a city in the northwest region of Georgia, about 45 miles (72 km) west of Atlanta near the Alabama state line. It is the county seat of Carroll County, which is included in the Atlanta Metropolitan Area. Historically, ...

Education and career

Adamson received an

Artium Baccalaureus Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

degree from Bowdon College in 1874. He

read law Reading law was the method used in common law countries, particularly the United States, for people to prepare for and enter the legal profession before the advent of law schools. It consisted of an extended internship or apprenticeship under the ...

in the office of the Hon. S. W. Harris and was

admitted to the bar An admission to practice law is acquired when a lawyer receives a license to practice law. In jurisdictions with two types of lawyer, as with barristers and solicitors, barristers must gain admission to the bar whereas for solicitors there are dist ...

in October, 1876 and commenced practice in Carrollton, Georgia. He served as judge of the city court of Carrollton from 1885 to 1889. He served as an attorney for the city of Carrollton for a number of years. He served as delegate to the

Democratic National Convention The Democratic National Convention (DNC) is a series of presidential nominating conventions held every four years since 1832 by the United States Democratic Party. They have been administered by the Democratic National Committee since the 1852 ...

in 1892 and as a presidential elector in the

1892 Presidential election The following elections occurred in the year 1892. {{TOC right Asia Japan * 1892 Japanese general election Europe Denmark * 1892 Danish Folketing election Portugal * 1892 Portuguese legislative election United Kingdom * 1892 Chelmsford by-el ...

Congressional service

Adamson was elected 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 ...

to the

United States House of Representatives 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 house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...

of the

55th United States Congress The 55th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, DC from March 4, 1897, to M ...

and to the ten succeeding Congresses and served from March 4, 1897, until December 18, 1917, when he resigned. He served as Chairman of the Committee on Interstate and Foreign Commerce for the 62nd through

65th United States Congress The 65th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, DC from March 4, 1917, to ...

es.

Notable legislation

The

Adamson Act The Adamson Act was a United States federal law passed in 1916 that established an eight-hour workday, with additional pay for overtime work, for interstate railroad workers. History The terms that were embodied in the act were negotiated by ...

, which regulated the hours of railroad workers, was named for Adamson.

Federal Judicial Service

Adamson was nominated by President

Woodrow Wilson Thomas Woodrow Wilson (December 28, 1856February 3, 1924) was an American politician and academic who served as the 28th president of the United States from 1913 to 1921. A member of the Democratic Party, Wilson served as the president of ...

on September 20, 1917, to a seat on the

vacated by Henderson M. Somerville. He was confirmed by the

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

on September 20, 1917, and received his commission on September 24, 1917. Adamson was reassigned by

operation of law The phrase "by operation of law" is a legal term that indicates that a right or liability has been created for a party, irrespective of the intent of that party, because it is dictated by existing legal principles. For example, if a person dies wi ...

to the

on May 28, 1926, to a new Associate Justice seat authorized by 44 Stat. 669. His service terminated on January 20, 1928, due to his retirement. He was succeeded by Associate Justice

Genevieve R. Cline Genevieve Rose Cline (July 27, 1877 – October 25, 1959) was a judge of the United States Customs Court and the first woman to serve in the United States federal judiciary, serving as an Article I federal judge. Education and career Born on Ju ...

Retirement and death

Adamson resumed the practice of law in Carrollton. He died while on a visit in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

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 * '' ...

, on January 3, 1929. He was interred in City Cemetery in Carrollton. Adamson Square in downtown Carrollton was named in his honor.

References

Citations

Sources

* *

Attribution

: : {{DEFAULTSORT:Adamson, William Charles 1854 births 1929 deaths People from Bowdon, Georgia Georgia (U.S. state) lawyers Members of the Board of General Appraisers Judges of the United States Customs Court United States Article I federal judges appointed by Woodrow Wilson 20th-century American judges Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Georgia (U.S. state) People from Carrollton, Georgia United States federal judges admitted to the practice of law by reading law 1892 United States presidential electors