Alva Adams (1850 - 1922)

Born 14 May 1850 in Adamsville, Iowa, Wisconsin, United States

Died 1 Nov 1922 at age 72 in Battle Creek, Calhoun, Michigan, United States

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Preceded by 4th Governor Benjamin Harrison Eaton 9th Governor Albert W. McIntire 13th Governor James Hamilton Peabody

Alva Adams 5th Governor of Colorado 1887—1889 10th Governor 1897—1899 14th Governor Jan. 10, 1905—March 17, 1905

Succeeded by 6th Governor Job A. Cooper 11th Governor Charles S. Thomas 15th Governor James Hamilton Peabody

Alva Adams is Notable.

Biography

"ALVA ADAMS was born in Iowa County, Wisconsin, on May 14, 1850. He received a basic education, but excelled in his business ventures when he moved to Colorado in 1871.

Alva Adams served as the 5th, 10th, and 14th Governor of Colorado. A county in Colorado is named for Adams in the Denver Metro region.^[1]

Adams launched himself in the hardware and lumber business, and in a five-year period, he opened a franchise parallel to almost every extension of the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad. He entered politics in 1873, when he was elected to the first city council of South Pueblo.

He also served as a representative in the Colorado General Assembly in 1876. Adams was elected Colorado's fifth governor on November 4, 1886, and he was sworn into office on January 11, 1887. During his first term, the Bureau of Labor Statistics was created; a law was passed ending public executions and corporal punishment at state prisons. Legislation was also enacted making it illegal for children under 14 to be used for labor. Adams left office on January 10, 1889, and returned to his business endeavors. He was reelected to his second governorship on November 3, 1896. During his second administration, he mediated the negotiations in the extended and disastrous Leadville strike in 1896, and the State Board of Arbitration was established in 1897.

When America went to war with Spain in 1898, Adams raised money to finance the troops, and he personally acquired each soldier's identification tags. His second term ended on January 10, 1899, and he was reelected to a third term on November 8, 1904, but amid allegations of voter's fraud. The election was contested, and the controversy was decided by the predominately Republican legislature. Their decision was that neither Adams nor his opponent should be named governor. Jesse J. McDonald, who was lieutenant governor at the time, became Colorado's governor.

.

This day in History
March 17, 1905

Colorado is the only state to have three different governors

Alva Adams, James Hamilton Peabody and Jesse Fuller McDonald
on the same day, due to major violations in election law.^[2]

Adams returned to his business interests and ran unsuccessfully for governor in 1906. He later served as a member to 1908 Democratic National Committee.

Governor Alva Adams died from diabetes on November 1, 1922, and is buried at the Roselawn Cemetery, Pueblo, Colorado."^[3]

Family

1860 Ridgeway, Iowa, Wisconsin ^[4]

John Adams 38 Kentucky

Eliza Adams 28 New York

Charles Adams M 12 Wisconsin

Alva Adams M 10 Wisconsin

Geo Adams M 8 Wisconsin

John Adams M 6 Wisconsin

Frank Adams M 4 Wisconsin

Elizabeth Adams F 2 Wisconsin

Ann Vangorder F 19 Illinois

Spouse: Ella Charlotte Nye Adams (1851 - 1931)

Children:

1. Edna Adams (1873 - 1873)
2. Alva Blanchard Adams (1875 - 1941)^[5]

Sources

1. ↑ Wikipedia
2. ↑ James Hamilton Peabody
3. ↑ Sobel, Robert Biographical Directory of the Governors of the United States (Meckler Books, Westport, Connecticut, 1978)m Volume 1, p. 133-4.
4. ↑ "United States Census, 1860", database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MW9M-D88 : 18 March 2020), Ann Vangorder in entry for John Adams, 1860.Household ID: 768--Affiliate Name: The U.S. National Archives and Records Administration (NARA)--Affiliate Publication Number: M653--Affiliate Film Number: 1412--GS Film Number: 805412--Digital Folder Number: 005171779--Image Number: 00426--Indexing Project (Batch) Number: N01836-3:Page: 108--Record Number: 16014
5. ↑ Alva Adams (1850 - 1922) - Find A Grave Memorial

• Wikipedia.com Bio
• Alva Adams, NGA
• "United States Census, 1860", database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MW9M-D8W : 30 December 2015), Alva Adams in entry for John Adams, 1860.
• Death Record
• 11,592 for "Alva Adams" newspaper articles in Douglas Historic newspapers
• History of Colorado (Linderman Co., Inc., Denver, Co., 1927), Volume IV, page 417
• Nye, George Hyatt. A Genealogy of the Nye Family (Nye Family of America Assoc., Cleveland, Ohio, 1907-1967), Volume 1, p.399