Wilbur L. Adams - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Wilbur Louis Adams was an American lawyer and politician from Wilmington, in New Castle County, Delaware. He was a member of the Democratic Party, who served as U.S. Representative from Delaware.

Early life and family

Adams was born in Georgetown, Delaware, son of William Dunning Adams and Sarah Lavinia (Thompson) Adams. He attended Delaware College in Newark and Dickinson College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. In 1907 he graduated from the University of Pennsylvania School of Law at Philadelphia, was admitted to the Delaware Bar, and began the practice of law in Wilmington.

Political career

Adams was an unsuccessful candidate for election as state Attorney General in 1924. Unlike the rest of the nation, Delaware had no Democratic landslide in 1932, but the incumbent Republican U.S. Representative, Robert G. Houston was involved in an intra-party dispute over prohibition and failed to win the Republican nomination.

As a result, Adams was able to win a narrow victory, and was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1932, defeating Republican Reuben Satterthwaite, Jr. During this term, he served with the Democratic majority in the 73rd Congress. In the U.S. House, Adams voted with the straight New Deal program. He served from March 4, 1933 until January 3 1935, during the administration of U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt.

In 1934, Adams decided not to seek reelection, but rather to challenge the popular incumbent U.S. Senator John G. Townsend, Jr. for his U.S. Senate seat. A thoughtful moderate Republican, Townsend had supported much of the New Deal legislation, and had demonstrated considerable effectiveness through his involvement in the establishment of such things as the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation

Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation is a United States government corporation created by the Glass–Steagall Act of 1933. It provides deposit insurance, which guarantees the safety of deposits in member banks, currently up to $250,000 per depositor per bank. , the FDIC insures deposits at...

. By contrast, Adams had a low profile in the House of Representatives and Townsend was able to raise questions about Adams' effectiveness for Delaware. Once again bucking national trends, Delaware had its own local Republican landslide in 1934, led by Townsend. Adams came home and moved to Georgetown, Delaware where he continued the practice of law. He was also the acting Postmaster at Georgetown, from May 6, 1937, until his death.

Death and legacy

Adams died at the Beebe Hospital, Lewes, Delaware. He is buried in the Union Cemetery, located at South Race Street, Georgetown. Take Route 113 south to Route 9 east into Georgetown. Follow Route 9 through the roundabout in center of town, then go right on South Race Street. Union Cemetery is at dead end.

Almanac

Elections are held the first Tuesday after November 1st. U.S. Representatives took office March 4th and have a two year term. Since 1935 all Congressional terms began January 3rd.

{|class=wikitable style="width: 94%" style="text-align: center;" align="center"
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!colspan=7 style="background: #ccccff;" |Public Offices
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! Office
! Type
! Location
! Began office
! Ended office
! notes
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|U.S. Representative

United States House of Representatives

The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...

|Legislature

Legislature

A legislature is a kind of deliberative assembly with the power to pass, amend, and repeal laws. The law created by a legislature is called legislation or statutory law. In addition to enacting laws, legislatures usually have exclusive authority to raise or lower taxes and adopt the budget and...

|Washington

Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....

|March 4, 1933
|January 3, 1935
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{|class=wikitable style="width: 94%" style="text-align: center;" align="center"
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!colspan=7 style="background: #ccccff;" |United States Congressional service
|-
! Dates
! Congress
! Chamber
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! President
! Committees
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|1933–1935
|73rd

73rd United States Congress

The Seventy-third 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, 1933 to January 3, 1935, during the first two years...

|U.S. House

United States House of Representatives

|Democratic

Democratic Party (United States)

The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...

|Franklin D. Roosevelt

Franklin D. Roosevelt

Franklin Delano Roosevelt , also known by his initials, FDR, was the 32nd President of the United States and a central figure in world events during the mid-20th century, leading the United States during a time of worldwide economic crisis and world war...

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|at-large

Delaware's At-large congressional district

Delaware's At-large congressional district is a congressional district that includes the entire U.S. state of Delaware.It is currently represented by Democrat John C. Carney, Jr., the former Lieutenant Governor of Delaware.-Voting:-History:...

{|class=wikitable style="width: 94%" style="text-align: center;" align="center"
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!colspan=12 style="background: #ccccff;" |Election results
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|1924
|State Attorney General

Attorney General

In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general, or attorney-general, is the main legal advisor to the government, and in some jurisdictions he or she may also have executive responsibility for law enforcement or responsibility for public prosecutions.The term is used to refer to any person...

Democratic Party (United States)

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...

| |
| |
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|1932
|U.S. Representative

United States House of Representatives

Democratic Party (United States)

| |51,698
| |46%
|
| |Reuben Satterthwaite, Jr.
| |Republican

Republican Party (United States)

| |48,841
| |44%
|-
|1934
|U.S. Senator

United States Senate

The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...

Democratic Party (United States)

| |45,771
| |46%
|
| |John G. Townsend, Jr.

John G. Townsend, Jr.

John Gillis Townsend, Jr. was an American businessman and politician from Selbyville, in Sussex County, Delaware. He was a member of the Republican Party, who served as Governor and two terms as U. S. Senator from Delaware....

| |Republican

Republican Party (United States)

| |52,829
| |53%

External links

Places with more information

Delaware Historical Society
Delaware Historical Society
The Delaware Historical Society began in 1864 as an effort to preserve documents from the Civil War. Since then, it has expanded into a state-wide historical institution with several venues and a major museum in Wilmington and the historic Read House & Gardens in New Castle.The society...

; website; 505 North Market Street, Wilmington, Delaware 19801; (302) 655-7161
University of Delaware
University of Delaware
The university is organized into seven colleges:* College of Agriculture and Natural Resources* College of Arts and Sciences* Alfred Lerner College of Business and Economics* College of Earth, Ocean and Environment* College of Education and Human Development...

; Library website; 181 South College Avenue, Newark, Delaware 19717; (302) 831-2965

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