Charles Francis Adams III
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Charles Francis Adams III | |
 |
|
|
|
|
|---|---|
| In office March 5, 1929 – March 4, 1933 |
|
| Preceded by | Curtis D. Wilbur |
| Succeeded by | Claude A. Swanson |
|
|
|
| Born | August 2, 1866 Quincy, Massachusetts, USA |
| Died | June 10, 1954 (aged 87) Boston, Massachusetts, USA |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | Frances Lovering Adams |
| Profession | Politician, Lawyer, Yachtsman |
Charles Francis Adams III (August 2, 1866 – June 10, 1954) was the United States Secretary of the Navy under Herbert Hoover and well-known as a yachtsman.
A scion of the Adams family that gave the country two presidents, Charles Francis was born in Quincy, Massachusetts. Adams' father was Charles Francis Adams Jr., his grandfather was Charles Francis Adams, Sr., his great-grandfather was John Quincy Adams and his great-great-grandfather was John Adams. He was also the great-great-grandson of Benjamin Williams Crowninshield[citation needed], who preceded him as U.S. Secretary of the Navy.
Adams graduated cum laude from Harvard College in 1888 and from Harvard Law School in 1892. He was first a lawyer, then went into business. He married Frances Lovering, the daughter of U.S. Representative William C. Lovering, in 1899. They had one son, Charles, and one daughter, Catherine.
Adams served as mayor of Quincy, Massachusetts from 1896 to 1897. In 1920, he skippered the America's Cup defender Resolute and soon became known as the "Dean of American Helmsmen".
As Secretary of the Navy, from 1929 to 1933, he vigorously promoted public understanding of the Navy's indispensable role in international affairs, and worked strenuously to maintain naval strength and efficiency during a period of severe economic depression. He served at the London Naval Conference in 1930 where he successfully maintained the principle of United States naval parity with Britain. He died in 1954 and is interred in Mount Wollaston Cemetery in Quincy, Norfolk County, Massachusetts next to his father, Charles Francis Adams, Jr., and his grandfather, Charles Francis Adams, Sr.
The Charles Francis Adams Memorial Trophy for yacht racing was established in his memory, and the Navy destroyer USS Charles F. Adams was named after him.
[edit] Trivia
- His son, Charles Francis Adams IV, was a prominent businessman and first president of Raytheon Company.
- His daughter, Catherine Adams, married the son of J. P. Morgan, Henry Sturgis Morgan; one of the founders of Morgan Stanley.
- Once while eating lunch in the Navy Building cafeteria, a motion picture cameraman asked Adams to write something while they filmed him. He pulled out a pen, thought, and, jokingly, proceeded to write "This is hell... this is hell... this is hell..."
[edit] Sources
- This article includes text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships.
[edit] External links
| Preceded by Curtis D. Wilbur |
United States Secretary of the Navy March 5, 1929 – March 4, 1933 |
Succeeded by Claude A. Swanson |
|
||||||||||
