515:, from 1876 to 1880, the choice was welcomed with widespread approval. He began his term on the Iowa Supreme Court on January 1, 1876, leaving the firm of Adams, Robison & Lacy. He was chief justice for four years, from 1880 to 1881 and 1886–87. He was the first Chief Justice to admit a woman to practice in the Iowa Supreme Court. He later commended her for the way she tried the case. As a justice he slowly came to conclusions but then always stood by them. He never tried to appeal to popular opinion in cases. In June 1886 he presided over the opening of the new Supreme Court Rooms. His second term ended December 31, 1887, and he decided not to accept another term.
352:. His grandparents had secured that school and a church on a corner of their farm in 1794. He retained pleasant memories of the district school, which he attended until he was fourteen. In later years he wrote " older pupils, the young men and women not only assisted me in my studies, but their presence and example afforded me inspiration." His family attended the Baptist church on their farm. Adams heard only "dogmatic and terrorizing theology" at the church and it "succeeded in destroying much of the happiness of his childhood."
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During the last year of his life, he became fascinated with the natural world. "This year, he more than once said, was the happiest of his life, sustained and soothed by an unfaltering trust in the order and law of the universe." He remained strong mentally until his final hours: he usually read five
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degree in course. Lighting then was so poor that he lost some of his vision studying, and had to wear spectacles at an early age. "The physical inability to see distinctly increased an introspective state of mind and somewhat blunted the observing powers which he himself regretted."
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in July 1854. "The evening he reached
Dubuque he felt that here was to be his life's work." He resided in Dubuque for the rest of his life. Later in life, he said: "I wanted more liberty, a society with more variety than I had ever seen in the East."
420:. He was so affected by this loss that when he was seventy and a friend offered him a share in a promising real-estate investment, he declined, saying "No, I have already had all the profits of real-estate transactions I can afford."
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in
Dubuque in 1857. For three years he had a Bible class, while a member and a trustee of the Congregational church, and for two years in the Universalist church. One year he had evenings devoted to the study of physical science at
332:, second United States president; and Austin Adams. Austin's father, Jerry Adams, was a successful farmer and clerk of the school district, and served twice in the legislature. He married Dorcas Austin in 1816.
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He showed great interest in law as a boy: "The law had a perfect fascination for me before I was ten years old, and I think before I ever saw a lawyer or a court." He often went to the court house in
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supported the advancement of women and was a member of many progressive and scientific organizations. Austin also enthusiastically supported the advancement of women, particularly women's education.
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In
December 1865, he and ten other gentlemen formed a literary club called "The Round Table". They obtained a room and furnished it with a round table that could fit fifteen people around it.
431:, for six months. During the winter of 1854 he proposed building a public library; he raised funds for it with a series of lectures and solicited donations of books from private libraries.
370:, to prepare for college. At age sixteen he began teaching students at the academy, some of whom were older than he was, in the winter while working on his father's farm in the summer.
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Suffering a prolonged illness, he died at four in the morning in his home in
Dubuque, Iowa, on October 17, 1890. He was buried in Linwood Cemetery in Dubuque, Iowa.
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Adams was instrumental in promoting education in
Dubuque; he opened an academy, one of the first institutes of secondary education in Dubuque, and taught with
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At age thirteen, his teacher urged his father to give Austin a better education than he could receive at the country school house. At fourteen he was sent to
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His wife later wrote: "His happiness was in the state of his mind, not exterior conditions. He had that peace, that passeth understanding."
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503:(ISU) board of education, 1868, trustee of the university from 1871 to 1877, and lecturer in its law department, from 1875 until his death.
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When Adams decided to move west, his friends believed that it wouldn't suit him and that he would return early. Despite this, he settled in
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438:'s campaign for president in 1856. While he didn't naturally like politics, he was strongly committed to early Republican principles.
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Like many at the time, he was drawn to seemingly-profitable real-estate investments, and he suffered when their value dropped in the
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for a short time in 1853. He was admitted to the bar in
Woodstock, Vermont, in January 1853 and entered practice with ex-Governor
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He enjoyed reading literature as recreation. He usually only read parts of a book—the rest he felt was unneeded.
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On
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Adams had built up an excellent reputation in the 1860s, so when he was chosen to be a justice of the
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All biographies praise his personal qualities, calling him a simple, considerate, intelligent man.
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visited it while they were in
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I have heard the greatest man I have ever listened to; he ought to be our next president.
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History of Iowa From the
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190:(May 24, 1826 – October 17, 1890) was an American lawyer and justice of the
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in 1632 with his wife and children. His sons were the ancestors of
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This article incorporates text from a publication now in the
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839:. Vol. 1. Boston: American Biographical Society. p. 35.
854:, Special Collections Department, Iowa State University Library.
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For the next five years he taught at West
Randolph Academy in
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After arriving in Dubuque, he began to practice law there.
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809:, Volume 81, "In Memoriam, Austin Adams", pp. viii-xvi
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373:At nineteen he entered the sophomore class at
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320:. Henry Adams, of this family, emigrated to
328:, the political philosopher and statesmen;
236:. Unsourced material may be challenged and
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340:Austin Adams was born on May 24, 1826, in
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234:adding citations to reliable sources
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947:Justices of the Iowa Supreme Court
870:. pp. 131–132. Archived from
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904:Justice of the Iowa Supreme Court
867:Iowa Official Register: 1909-1910
477:in 1864, he was secretary of the
312:Austin Adam's ancestors lived in
132:Justice of the Iowa Supreme Court
122:University of Iowa College of Law
80:Linwood Cemetery in Dubuque, Iowa
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453:In 1858, after listening to the
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178:Dorcas Austin (mother)
850:Adams Family Papers,
501:Iowa State University
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864:Hayward, William C.
793:Iowa Judicial Branch
768:"Austin Adams"
744:"Austin Adams"
655:Iowa Judicial Branch
641:Adams 1891, p. 51-52
556:to six hours a day.
359:to listen to cases.
175:Jerry Adams (father)
914:Gifford S. Robinson
490:Ralph Waldo Emerson
364:Black River Academy
153:Gifford S. Robinson
889:Political offices
539:Mary Newbury Adams
513:Iowa Supreme Court
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475:American Civil War
391:Harvard Law School
357:Woodstock, Vermont
194:for twelve years.
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937:1890 deaths
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473:During the
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551:Later life
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198:Heritage
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448:YMCA
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