Judge Washington Adams


Home County: Cooper

Term of service at the Supreme Court of Missouri: December 1871 - October 1874

Judge Washington Adams was born in 1814 in Christian County, Kentucky.[i] His family moved to Howard County, Missouri in 1816.[ii]  Adams attended public schools, and for four years studied law at the office of Peyton R. Hayden, a well-known Boonville attorney,[iii] and settled in Boonville, where he was a resident for the rest of his life.[iv] He received his law license in 1835 and practiced in Boonville.[v] He was well-known as a knowledgeable and successful attorney.[vi]


On December 27, 1871,[vii] Judge Adams was appointed by Governor Brown as a judge on the Supreme Court of Missouri to replace Judge Warren Currier, who had resigned from his position.[viii] On November 5, 1872, he was elected for a two-year term.[ix]  In September of 1874, Judge Adams sent his resignation from the Court to the Governor.[x] His last day with the Court was October 1, 1874.[xi]


After Judge Adams’ service with the Supreme Court of Missouri, he participated in the Constitutional Convention of Missouri of 1875, as the Chairman of the Judiciary Committee.[xii] There he played a pivotal role in the construction and framework of the State constitution.[xiii] Early in the Constitutional Convention, Judge Washington Adams introduced an entire constitution, in pamphlet form.[xiv] Along with the presentation of the constitution, Judge Adams enacted crucial provisions in the judicial department, including the introduction of the term revision, extending the term to ten years for state Supreme Court judges.[xv] The St. Louis Court of Appeals, which consisted of three judges, was established in the 1875 state constitution.[xvi]


Judge Washington Adams died, in Boonville, on May 14, 1883.[xvii]

[i] “Death of Judge Adams,” The Sedalia Weekly Bazoo, (Sedalia, Missouri), May 15, 1883, image digitized by the State Historical  Society of Missouri, image courtesy of Chronicling America website, accessed May 14, 2021, available from https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn90061066/1883-05-15/ed-1/seq-3/#date1=1883&index=0&rows=20&words=Adams+Washington&searchType=basic&sequence=0&state=Missouri&date2=1883&proxtext=Washington+Adams&y=0&x=0&dateFilterType=yearRange&page=1

[iii] “Death of Judge Adams,” The Sedalia Weekly Bazoo, (Sedalia, Missouri), May 15, 1883, image digitized by the State Historical  Society of Missouri, image courtesy of Chronicling America website, accessed May 14, 2021, available from https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn90061066/1883-05-15/ed-1/seq-3/#date1=1883&index=0&rows=20&words=Adams+Washington&searchType=basic&sequence=0&state=Missouri&date2=1883&proxtext=Washington+Adams&y=0&x=0&dateFilterType=yearRange&page=1

[iv] “Death of Judge Adams,” The Sedalia Weekly Bazoo, (Sedalia, Missouri), May 15, 1883, image digitized by the State Historical  Society of Missouri, image courtesy of Chronicling America website, accessed May 14, 2021, available from https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn90061066/1883-05-15/ed-1/seq-3/#date1=1883&index=0&rows=20&words=Adams+Washington&searchType=basic&sequence=0&state=Missouri&date2=1883&proxtext=Washington+Adams&y=0&x=0&dateFilterType=yearRange&page=1

[v] “Death of Judge Adams,” The Sedalia Weekly Bazoo, (Sedalia, Missouri), May 15, 1883, image digitized by the State Historical  Society of Missouri, image courtesy of Chronicling America website, accessed May 14, 2021, available from https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn90061066/1883-05-15/ed-1/seq-3/#date1=1883&index=0&rows=20&words=Adams+Washington&searchType=basic&sequence=0&state=Missouri&date2=1883&proxtext=Washington+Adams&y=0&x=0&dateFilterType=yearRange&page=1

[vi] “Death of Judge Adams,” The Sedalia Weekly Bazoo, (Sedalia, Missouri), May 15, 1883, image digitized by the State Historical  Society of Missouri, image courtesy of Chronicling America website, accessed May 14, 2021,  available from https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn90061066/1883-05-15/ed-1/seq-3/#date1=1883&index=0&rows=20&words=Adams+Washington&searchType=basic&sequence=0&state=Missouri&date2=1883&proxtext=Washington+Adams&y=0&x=0&dateFilterType=yearRange&page=1

[vii] “Certificate Appointing Washington Adams as Missouri State Supreme Court Judge, signed by B. Gratz Brown and Eugene Freigel, December 27, 1871,” Washington Adams Papers, 1871-1872, Collection, identifier: A1853-00002, information courtesy of Missouri Historical Society: St. Louis, Missouri accessed on February 13, 2021, available from https://mohistory.org/collections/item/A1853-00002 Document located at the Missouri Historical Society, St. Louis, Missouri. See also: “Death of Judge Adams,” The Sedalia Bazoo (Sedalia, Missouri), May 15, 1883, image digitized by the State Historical Society of Missouri, image courtesy of Chronicling America website, accessed May 14, 2021, available from https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn90061066/1883-05-15/ed-1/seq-3/#date1=1883&index=0&rows=20&words=Adams+Death+Judge&searchType=basic&sequence=0&state=Missouri&date2=1883&proxtext=Death+of+Judge+Adams&y=21&x=18&dateFilterType=yearRange&page=1

[viii] Truman A. Post, reporter, Reports of Cases Argued and Determined in the Supreme Court of the State of Missouri, vol. XLIX, (St. Louis, MO:  Democrat Litho. And Printing Company, 1872), iii. Publication located in the Supreme Court of Missouri Law Library.

[ix] “Certificate Appointing Washington Adams as Missouri State Supreme Court Judge, signed by B. Gratz Brown and Eugene Freigel, November 5, 1872,” Washington Adams Papers, 1871-1872, collection, identifier: A1853-00001, information courtesy of Missouri Historical Society: St. Louis, Missouri, accessed on February 13, 2021, available from https://mohistory.org/collections/item/A1853-00001 Document located at the Missouri Historical Society, St. Louis, Missouri.

[x] “Resignation of Judge Adams,” The State Journal, (Jefferson City, Missouri), September 11, 1874, image digitized by the State Historical Society of Missouri, image courtesy of Chronicling America website, accessed May 14, 2021, available from https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn87052128/1874-09-11/ed-1/seq-4/#date1=1874&index=0&rows=20&words=Adams+Judge&searchType=basic&sequence=0&state=Missouri&date2=1883&proxtext=Judge+Adams&y=12&x=20&dateFilterType=yearRange&page=1

[xi] “Resignation of Judge Adams,” The State Journal, (Jefferson City, Missouri), September 11, 1874, image digitized by the State Historical Society of Missouri, image courtesy of Chronicling America website, accessed May 14, 2021, available from https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn87052128/1874-09-11/ed-1/seq-4/#date1=1874&index=0&rows=20&words=Adams+Judge&searchType=basic&sequence=0&state=Missouri&date2=1883&proxtext=Judge+Adams&y=12&x=20&dateFilterType=yearRange&page=1

[xii] “Convention of 1875,” The State Journal, (Jefferson City, Missouri), June 18, 1875, image digitized by the State Historical Society of Missouri, image courtesy of Chronicling America website, accessed May 17, 2021, available from https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn87052128/1875-06-18/ed-1/seq-4/#date1=1874&index=5&rows=20&words=Adams+Judge&searchType=basic&sequence=0&state=Missouri&date2=1883&proxtext=Judge+Adams&y=12&x=20&dateFilterType=yearRange&page=1 See also: “Extortion by Law,” The State Journal, (Jefferson City, Missouri), July 30, 1875, image digitized by the State Historical Society of Missouri, image courtesy of Chronicling America website, accessed on May 17, 2021, available from https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn87052128/1875-07-30/ed-1/seq-2/#date1=1875&index=0&rows=20&words=Adams+Washington&searchType=basic&sequence=0&state=Missouri&date2=1875&proxtext=Washington+Adams&y=0&x=0&dateFilterType=yearRange&page=1

[xiii]  The State Journal (Jefferson City, Missouri), May 21, 1875, image digitized by the State Historical Society of Missouri, image courtesy of Chronicling America website, accessed May 17, 2021, available from https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn87052128/1875-05-21/ed-1/seq-2/#date1=1874&index=1&rows=20&words=Adams+Judge&searchType=basic&sequence=0&state=Missouri&date2=1883&proxtext=Judge+Adams&y=12&x=20&dateFilterType=yearRange&page=1 See also: “Death of Judge Adams,” The Sedalia Weekly Bazoo, (Sedalia, Missouri), May 15, 1883, image digitized by the State Historical  Society of Missouri, image courtesy of Chronicling America website, accessed May 14, 2021, available from https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn90061066/1883-05-15/ed-1/seq-3/#date1=1883&index=0&rows=20&words=Adams+Washington&searchType=basic&sequence=0&state=Missouri&date2=1883&proxtext=Washington+Adams&y=0&x=0&dateFilterType=yearRange&page=1

[xiv] W.F. Switzler, “Constitutional Conventions of Missouri, 1865-1875,” Missouri Historical Review, 1, no. 2, (January, 1907) vol. 1, (Columbia, MO: The State Historical Society of Missouri, 1907): 117, Missouri Historical Review collection, The State Historical Society of Missouri website, digitized by the State Historical Society of Missouri, accessed May 17, 2021, available at; https://digital.shsmo.org/digital/collection/mhr/id/10/rec/10

[xv] Missouri General Assembly, Missouri State Constitution 1875, 14, image digitized by the Missouri State Archives, image courtesy of the Missouri Digital Heritage website, accessed May 17, 2021, available from https://cdm16795.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/p16795coll1/id/228/rec/4 Document located at the Missouri State Archives. See also: W.F. Switzler, “Constitutional Conventions of Missouri, 1865-1875,” Missouri Historical Review, 1, no. 2, (January, 1907) vol. 1, (Columbia, MO: The State Historical Society of Missouri, 1907): 118, Missouri Historical Review collection, The State Historical Society of Missouri website, digitized by the State Historical Society of Missouri, accessed May 17, 2021, available from https://digital.shsmo.org/digital/collection/mhr/id/11/rec/10

[xvi] Missouri General Assembly, Missouri State Constitution 1875, 14-15, image digitized by the Missouri State Archives, image courtesy of the Missouri Digital Heritage website, accessed May 17, 2021, available from https://cdm16795.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/p16795coll1/id/228/rec/4 and https://cdm16795.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/p16795coll1/id/229/rec/4 Document located at the Missouri State Archives, Jefferson City. See also: W.F. Switzler, “Constitutional Conventions of Missouri, 1865-1875,” Missouri Historical Review, 1, no. 2, (January, 1907) vol. 1, (Columbia, MO: The State Historical Society of Missouri, 1907): 118, Missouri Historical Review collection, The State Historical Society of Missouri website, digitized by the State Historical Society of Missouri, accessed May 17, 2021, available at; https://digital.shsmo.org/digital/collection/mhr/id/11/rec/10

[xvii] “Death of Judge Adams,” The Sedalia Weekly Bazoo, (Sedalia, Missouri), May 15, 1883, image digitized by the State Historical  Society of Missouri, image courtesy of Chronicling America website, accessed May 14, 2021, available from https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn90061066/1883-05-15/ed-1/seq-3/#date1=1883&index=0&rows=20&words=Adams+Washington&searchType=basic&sequence=0&state=Missouri&date2=1883&proxtext=Washington+Adams&y=0&x=0&dateFilterType=yearRange&page=1

Biographical information provided by Mr. John “Jack” Ries, 2021, University of Missouri, Columbia.

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