John Taylor Adams was a noted businessman in the Dubuque, Iowa

Dubuque, Iowa

Dubuque is a city in and the county seat of Dubuque County, Iowa, United States, located along the Mississippi River. In 2010 its population was 57,637, making it the ninth-largest city in the state and the county's population was 93,653....

 area and also a former Chairman of the Republican National Committee

Republican National Committee

The Republican National Committee is an American political committee that provides national leadership for the Republican Party of the United States. It is responsible for developing and promoting the Republican political platform, as well as coordinating fundraising and election strategy. It is...

 (1921–1924)

Biography

Adams was born in Dubuque to Shubael Pratt and Diancy Taylor Adams. He was educated in the public schools of Dubuque.

As a youth, he began his career in 1881 as an office boy for the firm of Carr, Ryder, and Wheeler Company, which was the predecessor of Carr, Adams, and Collier Company of which he later became President. In 1883 he left Dubuque for a business venture in Bismarck, North Dakota

Bismarck, North Dakota

Bismarck is the capital of the U.S. state of North Dakota and the county seat of Burleigh County. It is the second most populous city in North Dakota after Fargo. The city's population was 61,272 at the 2010 census, while its metropolitan population was 108,779...

. He remained in Bismarck for about a year and then he returned to Dubuque. After his return he became again associated with Carr, Ryder, and Wheeler Company. He rose very rapidly within the company and in 1895 he became president of Carr, Ryder, and Adams.

During the last few years of the 19th century, Mr. Adams was one of few in the woodworking industry who realized that forests in northern Wisconsin

Wisconsin

Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...

 were about depleted and that new sources of raw materials needed to be found. He developed a relationship with a California

California

California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...

 company (West Side Lumber and Flume Company, of which he would become general manager) and also established one of the first cutting mills on the West Coast

West Coast of the United States

West Coast or Pacific Coast are terms for the westernmost coastal states of the United States. The term most often refers to the states of California, Oregon, and Washington. Although not part of the contiguous United States, Alaska and Hawaii do border the Pacific Ocean but can't be included in...

.

Adams was also heavily involved in the political world as well. He was considered "one of the greatest political strategists of his generation" according to his obituary. He first came to prominence when he was brought in to manage the last political campaign for Senator William B. Allison

William B. Allison

William Boyd Allison was an early leader of the Iowa Republican Party, who represented northeastern Iowa for four consecutive terms in the U.S. House before representing his state for six consecutive terms in the U.S. Senate...

. His success soon brought him to the attention of national leaders of the Republican Party

Republican Party (United States)

The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...

. In 1912

United States presidential election, 1912

The United States presidential election of 1912 was a rare four-way contest. Incumbent President William Howard Taft was renominated by the Republican Party with the support of its conservative wing. After former President Theodore Roosevelt failed to receive the Republican nomination, he called...

, he helped President William Howard Taft

William Howard Taft

William Howard Taft was the 27th President of the United States and later the tenth Chief Justice of the United States...

 win Iowa over Theodore Roosevelt

Theodore Roosevelt

Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt was the 26th President of the United States . He is noted for his exuberant personality, range of interests and achievements, and his leadership of the Progressive Movement, as well as his "cowboy" persona and robust masculinity...

. Mr. Adams was the Iowa member of the Republican National Committee for many years before his election to the chairmanship in 1921. He helped direct the campaigns of both Warren G. Harding

Warren G. Harding

Warren Gamaliel Harding was the 29th President of the United States . A Republican from Ohio, Harding was an influential self-made newspaper publisher. He served in the Ohio Senate , as the 28th Lieutenant Governor of Ohio and as a U.S. Senator...

 and of his good friend Calvin Coolidge

Calvin Coolidge

John Calvin Coolidge, Jr. was the 30th President of the United States . A Republican lawyer from Vermont, Coolidge worked his way up the ladder of Massachusetts state politics, eventually becoming governor of that state...

. He served as Republican National Chairman from 1921 to 1924.

After his retirement as Chairman, he continued to serve as President of Carr, Ryder, and Adams Company in Dubuque until his death on October 28, 1939. He was buried in Linwood Cemetery in Dubuque, Iowa.