Elmer Bragg Adams

Elmer Bragg Adams (October 27, 1842 – October 24, 1916) was a United States Circuit Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit and of the United States Circuit Courts for the Eighth Circuit and previously was a United States District Judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri.

Elmer Bragg Adams
From Notable St. Louisans in 1900
Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit
In office May 20, 1905 – October 24, 1916
Appointed by	Theodore Roosevelt
Preceded by	Amos Madden Thayer
Succeeded by	Kimbrough Stone
Judge of the United States Circuit Courts for the Eighth Circuit
In office May 20, 1905 – December 31, 1911
Appointed by	Theodore Roosevelt
Preceded by	Amos Madden Thayer
Succeeded by	Seat abolished
Judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri
In office May 17, 1895 – May 29, 1905
Appointed by	Grover Cleveland
Preceded by	Henry Samuel Priest
Succeeded by	Gustavus A. Finkelnburg
Personal details
Born	Elmer Bragg Adams October 27, 1842 Pomfret, Vermont
Died	October 24, 1916 (aged 73) St. Louis, Missouri
Resting place	River Street Cemetery Woodstock, Vermont
Political party	Democratic[1]
Spouse(s)	Emma Richmond
Education	Yale University (BA) Harvard Law School (LLB) University of Missouri (LLD)

Education and career

Adams was born on October 27, 1842, in Pomfret, Vermont, a lineal descendant of Henry Adams of Braintree, Massachusetts.[2] He received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Yale University in 1865 and graduated from Harvard Law School in 1868.[2] He was a teacher for the American Union Commission in Georgia from 1865 to 1866, and then engaged in the private practice of law in St. Louis, Missouri, from 1866 to 1879. He was a state court judge of the St. Louis Circuit Court from 1879 to 1884, thereafter returning to private practice in St. Louis until 1895.[3] He also received the degree LL.D. from the University of Missouri in 1896.[2]

Federal judicial service

Adams received a recess appointment from President Grover Cleveland on May 17, 1895, to a seat on the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri vacated by Judge Henry Samuel Priest. He was nominated to the same position by President Cleveland on December 4, 1895. He was confirmed by the United States Senate on December 9, 1895, and received his commission the same day. His service terminated on May 29, 1905, due to his elevation to the Eighth Circuit.[3]

Adams received a recess appointment from President Theodore Roosevelt on May 20, 1905, to a joint seat on the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit and the United States Circuit Courts for the Eighth Circuit vacated by Judge Amos Madden Thayer. He was nominated to the same position by President Roosevelt on December 5, 1905. He was confirmed by the Senate on December 12, 1905, and received his commission the same day. On December 31, 1911, the Circuit Courts were abolished and he thereafter served only on the Court of Appeals. His service terminated on October 24, 1916, due to his death in St. Louis.[3]

Personal life

Adams was married to Emma Richmond of Woodstock, Vermont in 1870.[2]

References

1. Official Manual of the State of Missouri. Jefferson City, MO: Missouri Secretary of State. 1901. p. 469.
2. Johnson 1906, p. 38
3. Elmer Bragg Adams at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a public domain publication of the Federal Judicial Center.

Sources

• Johnson, Rossiter, ed. (1906). "Adams, Elmer Bragg". The Biographical Dictionary of America. 1. Boston: American Biographical Society. p. 38. Retrieved October 23, 2020. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
• Leonard, John William; Marquis, Albert Nelson, eds. (1908), Who's who in America, 5, Chicago: Marquis Who's Who, Incorporated, p. 9
• Elmer Bragg Adams at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a public domain publication of the Federal Judicial Center.