James Hopkins Adams

James Hopkins Adams (born March 15, 1812 in Minervaville , South Carolina , † July 13, 1861 in Columbia , South Carolina) was an American politician and governor of South Carolina from 1854 to 1856.

Early years

James Adams graduated from Yale University in 1831 . In the National Guard (militia) of South Carolina, he rose in the following years to brigadier general. From 1841 until his death he was a curator of South Carolina College, later the University of South Carolina . He also became a director of the Exchange Bank of Columbia. Adams also owned the "Live Oak" cotton plantation.

Political career

During the nullification crisis of 1832, Adams was a member of the convention that resolved the annulment of federal laws for South Carolina and advised on the state's withdrawal from the Union. In the 1830s and 1840s he was a member of the parliament of his state several times . Between 1850 and 1853 he was a member of the South Carolina Senate . He was considered a supporter of slavery and the radical positions of South Carolina towards the north.

Governor of south carolina

In 1854, James Adams was elected governor by secret ballot by members of parliament. His two-year term began on December 1 of that year and ended two years later, constitutionally, on December 1, 1856. These years were overshadowed by the national conflict between the northern and southern states. After the Missouri Compromise of 1820 was lifted , the issue of slavery escalated. As late as 1854, the Republican Party was founded in the northern states, which advocated the abolition of slavery, and was seen as a red rag in the south, especially in South Carolina. Governor Adams took an even more radical stance than most of his countrymen on the matter. He wanted to revive the long-forbidden slave trade from Africa. That was going too far even for many of South Carolina. The proposal was rejected in Parliament. Realization would certainly have fueled the national antagonism even more.

Further career

At the end of his term of office, he was unable to run again for constitutional reasons. He tried unsuccessfully for a seat in the US Congress. Between 1857 and 1861 he was director of the Bank of Chester. After Abraham Lincoln was elected US President in November 1860, Adams was a member of the South Carolina convention that decided the country would leave the Union. He was one of the signatories of the so-called Ordinance of Secession , the document that contained the secession of South Carolina. He was then one of the delegates from South Carolina who made one last unsuccessful attempt in Washington to prevent the outbreak of war. James Adams lived to see the outbreak of the Civil War in April 1861. He died a few months later in July of the same year.

literature

Robert Sobel and John Raimo (Eds.): Biographical Directory of the Governors of the United States, 1789–1978. Volume 4. Meckler Books, Westport, CT, 1978. 4 volumes.

Web links

personal data
SURNAME	Adams, James Hopkins
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	Governor of south carolina
DATE OF BIRTH	March 15, 1812
PLACE OF BIRTH	Minervaville
DATE OF DEATH	July 13, 1861
Place of death	Columbia, South Carolina