A. A. Adams

Adams was born in Bellingham, Washington, on August 22, 1900.^[1][2] He studied at the Palmer College of Chiropractic in Davenport, Iowa, graduating in 1924.^[3]

In 1945, Adams moved to Tacoma, Washington, and opened an office there.^[2] Active in the wider chiropractor community, Adams was legislative chairman and later president of the Washington Chiropractors Association.^[3] He was elected president of the American Chiropractic Association in 1965 and served one term.^[4][2] Adams was also vice president of the International Chiropractors Association for some time.^[1] He retired from private practice in 1973.^[5]

Adams began his political career in 1960 as a member of the Tacoma Utility Board. A Democrat, he was first elected to the Washington House of Representatives in 1968, defeating the Republican nominee by a 52–48 margin, with a campaign heavily focusing on pension issues.^[6][7] One of his first actions in the House was to cosponsor a bill banning the carry of "dangerous weapons" at protests.^[8] While initially contested due to unclear language, the bill was passed unanimously when the Seattle Black Panthers announced their intention to protest it.^[9][10] He supported the 1970 legislation which legalized abortion in Washington.^[11]

Adams ran for reelection in 1970. While he won the primary, he had a lower vote total than his Republican opponents.^[12] He won the general election, again by a 52–48 margin.^[13][14] He was a cosponsor of the law which introduced mandatory vehicle insurance in Washington.^[15] In 1972, the redistricting process placed him in the 27th district, where he defeated Dennis Flannigan in a close primary.^[16][17] He went on to win reelection to a third term by a 67–33 margin and was made chair of the House Social and Health Services Committee.^[18][19] At 72 years old, Adams was the oldest representative in Washington.^[20]

In 1974, he sponsored the Senior Services Act, which created a Meals on Wheels program.^[5] He also led a probe into escapes at Western State Hospital, which quickly expanded to cover security at all state institutions and a variety of other issues.^[21][22] Adams beat his opponent in the primary and won the general election 66–34.^[23][24] He opposed the 1976 effort to remove Leonard A. Sawyer from his position of Speaker of the House.^[25] That same year, he won election for his fifth term 62–38.^[26]

Adams sponsored a "Death with Dignity" bill in 1977 that would have legalized a form of assisted suicide in Washington.^[27] He also supported a bill to decriminalize marijuana and a bill to legalize the prescription of Laetrile.^[28][29] He supported decriminalization of marijuana again the following year, saying that "We need to send Washington, D.C., a message."^[30] He won re-election 65–35.^[31]

In 1979, Adams continued to push for assisted suicide and marijuana legislation, successfully passing both bills through the House.^[32][33] He also cosponsored a bill creating a state lottery, although this did not ultimately pass.^[34][35] In May, Adams received criticism for taking a two-week vacation to Hawaii because his absence gave the Republicans a one-vote majority in the House, with an editorial in The News Tribune describing him as being "out of bounds."^[36][37] The following year, Adams opted to not run for reelection, citing a need to spend time with his family.^[5] He was succeeded by fellow Democrat Art Wang, who defeated his Republican opponent 71–29.^[38]