Paul L. Adams (Michigan judge)
Paul L. Adams | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 79th Justice of the Michigan Supreme Court | |
| In office 1964–1973 | |
| Preceded by | Leland W. Carr |
| Succeeded by | Levin/Coleman |
| In office December 1961 – December 31, 1962 | |
| Appointed by | John Swainson |
| Preceded by | George Edwards, Jr. |
| Succeeded by | Michael O'Hara |
| 49th Michigan Attorney General | |
| In office January 1, 1958 – December 27, 1961 | |
| Governor | G. Mennen Williams John Swainson |
| Preceded by | Thomas M. Kavanagh |
| Succeeded by | Frank J. Kelley |
| 200th Regent of the University of Michigan | |
| In office January 1, 1956 – 1957 | |
| Succeeded by | Donald N. D. Thurber |
| Mayor of Sault Ste. Marie | |
| In office 1938–1942 | |
| Preceded by | George J. Laundy |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Paul Lincoln Adams April 9, 1908 Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, U.S. |
| Died | November 23, 1990 (aged 82) Lansing, Michigan, U.S. |
| Spouse |
Ruth Karpinski (m. 1934) |
| Education | University of Michigan (BA, MA) University of Michigan Law School (LLB) |
Paul Lincoln Adams (April 9, 1908 – November 23, 1990) was an American lawyer, politician, and judge from Michigan.[1] He served as a mayor of Sault Ste. Marie, as a member of the University of Michigan Board of Regents, as Michigan Attorney General, and as a justice of the Michigan Supreme Court.[1]
Early life and education
Adams was born in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, on April 9, 1908.[1] His family had been farmers in the area since 1897, but by the early 1900s had shifted to insurance and real estate.[1] Adams graduated Sault High School in 1926. He received his B.A. in 1930 and M.A. in 1931 from the University of Michigan.[1][2]
Adams returned to his family business for three years, then entered the University of Michigan Law School.[1] He earned his LL.B. in 1936 and was admitted to the bar the same year.[1][2] While in law school, he became friends with G. Mennen Williams and others who became prominent in Michigan politics.[1] Also while in law school, Adams married Ruth Karpinski, daughter of the University of Michigan mathematician Louis Charles Karpinski.[1]
Career
Adams returned to Sault Ste. Marie, where he practiced law and served in various civic roles.[1][2] He was mayor from 1938 to 1942.[1] From 1941 to 1943, during World War II, he served as director of civil defense in Sault Ste. Marie.[1] From 1943 to 1944, Adams served with the Board of Economic Warfare in Washington, D.C.; he then returned to Sault Ste. Marie.[2] In 1949, Adams served as a member of the Michigan Social Welfare Commission. In 1950, he served as chair of the Sault Ste. Marie Charter Commission.[2]
In 1956, Adams was elected a member of the University of Michigan Board of Regents.[1] He served until the following year, when Governor G. Mennen Williams appointed to fill an unexpired term as Michigan Attorney General.[1][2] Adams was elected twice as attorney general in his own right (in 1958 and 1960).[1][2] He left the position after Governor John Swainson appointed Adams in December 1961 to serve on the Michigan Supreme Court.[1][2] Adams left the court later that year but returned in 1964 and served on the court until his retirement in 1973.[1] Thereafter, he spent his time in Clinton County, Michigan, where he had orchards.[1] Adams died on November 23, 1990.[1] He was survived by his wife Ruth and four daughters.[1]
Adams' papers are archived at the Bentley Historical Library at the University of Michigan.[2]
Notes
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