Secretary of State under Monroe. He was elected President of the United States by the House of Representatives in 1825, there having been no election by the people the previous year. He was defeated for re-election in 1828. In 1831 he was returned to Congress, where he remained until his death, Feb. 23, 1848.
ADAMS. MAUDE KISKADDEN, an American actress; born at Salt Lake City, Nov. 11, 1872; daughter of an actress who was leading woman of a stock company in that city, under the stage name of Adams. At 16 years of age Miss Adams joined E. H. Sothern's company in the "Midnight Bell"; afterward she was in Charles Frohman's stock company, and later supported John Drew. She made a great success in many plays from the pen of Sir J. M. Barrie, notably in The "Little Minister" and "Peter Pan." She has also essayed successfully some Shakespearean parts and the title roles in Rostand's "L'Aiglon" and "Chantecler."
ADAMS, SAMUEL, an American statesman and Revolutionary patriot; born in Boston, Mass., in 1722. He was elected to the Massachusetts legislature in 1765, was a delegate to the first Continental Congress in Philadelphia, and a signer of the Declaration of Independence. He was active in framing the constitution of his native State, which he served as President of the Senate, Lieutenant-Governor (1789-1794), and Governor (1794-1797). He was zealous for popular rights, and fearless in his opposition to monarchism. He died in 1803.
ADAMS, SAMUEL HOPKINS, an American writer; born in Dunkirk, N. Y., in 1871. He graduated from Hamilton College in 1891 and at once began newspaper work in New York. From 1903 to 1905 he was a member of the editorial staff of "McClure's Magazine." He wrote "The Great American Fraud," an exposé of the patent medicine business (1906); "The Clarion" (1914); "Our Square and the People in It" (1917), and contributed many stories and articles to newspapers and magazines.
ADAMS, WILLIAM TAYLOR, an American author and editor, best known by the pseudonym "Oliver Optic"; born July 30, 1822. He was a voluminous and highly popular writer of fiction for young readers, his works including several series of travel and adventure: "Young America Abroad," "Starry Flag Series," and others. He died March 27, 1897.
ADAMSON LAW. See RAILWAYS.
ADDAMS, JANE, an American philanthropist and social worker; born in Cedarville, Ill., Sept. 6, 1860. She was graduated at Rockford College in 1881, and after post-graduate studies in Europe and the United States, became an active social reformer. She inaugurated in 1889 the establishment known as Hull House, an adaptation of the "social settlement" plan to Chicago conditions. She has acted as street-cleaning inspector in Chicago, and has lectured on the improvement of the condition of the poor in great cities. In 1912 she took a prominent part in the formation of the Progressive party. Besides many contributions to current periodicals she has published a number of books.
ADDER, etymologically nadder, the n having been attracted to the article and lost, the common English name of the viper (Vipera berus) . Its color is yellowish brown or olive, with a double series of black spots along the back. The sides are a little paler and are also spotted with black. The adder has a broad, triangular head and a short tail. It rarely exceeds two feet in length. The adder is the only poisonous reptile in Great Britain, and is found in most of the countries of Europe. In the United States the name is popularly applied to several harmless snakes, but the true adder does not occur.
ADDING MACHINES, contrivances designed to simplify and facilitate the making of arithmetical computations. In recent years they have been greatly improved. They include cash registers, electric tabulating machines, and multiplying and dividing machines. Practically all banks and most large business concerns are now supplied with some form of these labor-saving devices.
ADDIS ABEBA, the chief city and capital of Abyssinia, in the province of Shoa. It is situated in an elevated country nearly 10,000 feet high. The town is practically without streets and is intersected by deep ravines. It contains the royal palace, which is a pretentious but flimsy structure, and is the seat of several schools. The permanent population is about 50,000. The treaty between Italy and Abyssinia was signed
