Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 01.djvu/51

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ADAMS.ADAMS.

"Free-Masonry" (1833); "Letters to William L. Stone and B. Cowell on Masonry and Anti-Masonry," "Oration on the Life and Character of Gilbert Motier de Lafayette" (1835); "Eulogy on the Life and Character of James Madison" (1836); "Jubilee of the Constitution" (1839); and "Letters on the Masonic Institution" (1847). He was an overseer of Harvard, 1830-'48, received the degree LL.D. from Princeton in 1806, and from Harvard in 1822; was president of the America Academy of Arts and Sciences, and a member of the Massachusetts Historical and of the American Philosophical societies. He received forty-eight votes for a place in the Hall of Fame, New York university, in October, 1900. He died in Washington, D.C., Feb. 21, 1848.

ADAMS, John Quincy, statesman, eldest son of Charles F. and Abigail Brooks Adams, was born in Boston, Mass., Sept. 22, 1833. He was graduated from Harvard college in 1853, and two years later was admitted to the Suffolk county bar. He followed his profession for a short time, then, becoming interested in agriculture, he created a model farm of five hundred acres at Quincy, Mass. He served on Governor Andrew's staff during the civil war, and sat in the state legislature in 1866 as representative for Quincy. He was originally an advocate of "Free Soil," and a vigorous supporter of the war policy of President Lincoln, but changed on "reconstruction" to President Johnson's policy, which resulted in his withdrawal from the Republican party, and prevented his re-election in the ensuing year. He was nominated by the Democrats for governor of Massachusetts in 1868, 1869, and 1870, but was not elected, and again served in the legislature in 1869 and 1870 as a Democrat. In 1870 he was for the fourth time an unsuccessful candidate for the governorship, and in 1872 was candidate for the vice-presidency of the United States on the ticket with Charles O'Connor.

In 1873 he was a candidate for lieutenant-governor of Massachusetts, with William Gaston for governor. In 1877 he was chosen a member of the Harvard corporation; was nominated in 1884 for Congress in the Second Massachusetts district, but declined the nomination. In 1887 he accepted an appointment on the metropolitan sewer commission, and in 1891 became a member of the rapid transit commission. Mr. Adams inherited a large estate and acquired additional wealth. He was conspicuous in the town affairs of Quincy; the adoption of what is known as the "Quincy School System" being due to his efforts while on the school board. He was invited to a seat in President Cleveland's cabinet in 1892, but declined. Mr. Adams was a man of genuine ability, and of equally genuine indifference to what are termed "party honors." He attended the First Unitarian church of Quincy, beneath which are buried the remains of his illustrious ancestors, the two Presidents. His published writings are: "Correspondence between John Quincy Adams and Wade Hampton; with speech of John Quincy Adams at Columbia, S. C." (Boston, 1868); "Appeal to the Mechanics and Laboring Men of New England" (Fall River, 1870; Boston, 1870). He died Aug. 14, 1894.

ADAMS, Julius Walker, civil engineer, was born in Boston, Mass., Oct. 18, 1812 , son of Eli and Sarah D. (Swift) Adams. He attended the U.S. military academy; became assistant engineer on the Stonington and Providence railroad and on the Paterson and Hudson River railroad and was chief engineer in various enterprises. He also designed the sewerage and drainage system of Brooklyn, N.Y., 1857-60; served as colonel of engineers and also of volunteers in the Army of the Potomac, 1861-'63, and was consulting engineer in New York city. He was the pioneer engineer in the building of Brooklyn bridge; edited Engineering News, 1881-'82, and was president of the American Society of Civil Engineers; a member of the American Academy for the Advancement of Science and of the New York Academy of Science. He died in Brooklyn, N.Y., Dec. 13, 1899.

ADAMS, Maude, actress, was born in Salt Lake City, Utah, Nov. 11, 1872. Her real name was Maude Kiskadden. Her mother, whose stage name was Annie Adams, was a member of the stock company at the only theatre there. Maude appeared first on the stage at the age of six, and her first speaking part was that of Adrienne in "A Celebrated Case." She played ingenue parts in "Men and Women" and Hoyt's " A Midnight Bell" and played Dora in "Diplomacy." With John Drew, she appeared in 1892, as "Susanna Blondet" in "A Masked Ball" and as Miriam Stuart Dodge in "The Butterflies." As Babbie in "The Little Minister" her phenomenal success came, in 1897-'98. "L'Aiglon" followed in 1900, and later as Juliet in "Romeo and Juliet," she made a pronounced success. She was forced to retire from the stage on account of failing health, and traveled in Egypt and the Holy Land in 1903.