Robert Stanley Adams Explained

Robert Stanley Adams (August 27, 1895 – April 1, 1943) served in the Florida State Senate for the 30th district.[1] [2]

Early life

Adams was born August 27, 1895, in Jasper, Florida to Frank Adams and Alice Vivian née West Adams.[3] He went to public school in Jacksonville, Florida and then attended the University of South at Sewanee, Tennessee. He served in the U.S. Navy during World War I as a painter and naval stores operator. He served in the U.S. Navy as part of the 6th Naval District.[4]

Career

Adams was the president of the Barnett National Bank in Jacksonville, Florida.[5]

He was a Mason and a Methodist.

Political career

Before joining the Florida Legislature he served on the Hamilton County Commission for ten years.

He was elected to the Florida Senate in 1934, 1938, and unopposed in his final term in 1942.[6] His father Frank Adams and grandfather Robert Watkins Adams also served in the legislature as senators.[7]

He was the chairman of the agriculture and livestock committee in 1943 and was also a member of several other committees. He co-sponsored the Rural Electric Cooperative Act.[8]

He died early in his third term as a state senator.[9] After his death the law required governor Spessard Holland to call, within 10 days, for a special election to fill the vacancy without the requirement for any primaries.[5]

Death

He died on April 1, 1943, (aged 47), at his plantation and home near Jasper, Florida. He was survived by his wife, Priscilla B Adams and three of his children, Frances Adams, Cornelia Caleb Tarplee and Robert Stanley Adams, as well as four siblings.

The R. Stanley Adams Memorial Highway section of Florida State Road 6 was named for him and a marker laid.

Notes and References

  1. News: State Senator Stanley Adams Dies Suddenly . 8 November 2020 . Tallahassee Democrat . 1 April 1943 . 1.
  2. Web site: Portraits of members of the Florida Legislature . Florida Memory . 8 November 2020.
  3. Book: Cash . William Thomas . The Story of Florida . 1938 . American historical society, Incorporated . 470 . en.
  4. Web site: Robert Stanley Adams - WWI Service Card . Florida Memory . 8 November 2020.
  5. News: R. Stanley Adams (Photo) - State Senate Member dies at Palatka . 8 November 2020 . The Miami Herald . 2 April 1943 . 2.
  6. Web site: Geocaching - The Official Global GPS Cache Hunt Site . www.geocaching.com . 8 November 2020 . en.
  7. News: Senators Robert Stanley Adams, Frank Adams, Robert Watkins Adams . 8 November 2020 . The Miami Herald . 16 May 1943 . 47.
  8. Web site: Rural Electrification News: A Summary of Rural Electrification Activities. United States Rural Electrification. Administration. Google Books. 9.
  9. News: Obituary for R. Stanley Adams (Aged 47). The Miami News . April 1, 1943. 20. newspapers.com.