Sherman Adams | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 2ndWhite House Chief of Staff | |
| In office January 20, 1953 – October 7, 1958 | |
| President | Dwight D. Eisenhower |
| Preceded by | John R. Steelman |
| Succeeded by | Wilton Persons |
| 67thGovernor of New Hampshire | |
| In office January 6, 1949 – January 1, 1953 | |
| Preceded by | Charles M. Dale |
| Succeeded by | Hugh Gregg |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromNew Hampshire's2nd district | |
| In office January 3, 1945 – January 3, 1947 | |
| Preceded by | Foster W. Stearns |
| Succeeded by | Norris Cotton |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Llewelyn Sherman Adams (1899-01-08)January 8, 1899 East Dover, Vermont, U.S. |
| Died | October 27, 1986(1986-10-27) (aged 87) Hanover, New Hampshire, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | |
| Education | Dartmouth College (BA) |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Branch/service |  Marine Corps |
| Battles/wars | World War I |
Llewelyn Sherman Adams (January 8, 1899 – October 27, 1986) was an American businessman and politician, best known asWhite House Chief of Staff for PresidentDwight D. Eisenhower, the culmination of an 18-year political career that also included a stint as the 67thgovernor of New Hampshire. He lost his White House position in a scandal when he accepted an expensivevicuña coat.[1]
Born inEast Dover, Vermont togrocer Clyde H. Adams and Winnie Marion Sherman,[2] Adams was educated in public schools inProvidence, Rhode Island, graduating fromHope High School. He received an undergraduate degree fromDartmouth College (1920), having taken time off briefly for a six-monthWorld War I stint in theUnited States Marine Corps. While at Dartmouth, Adams helped found Cabin and Trail,[3] Dartmouth's influential hiking club, and was a member of the New Hampshire Alpha chapter of theSigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity.[4] He then went into the lumber business, first inHealdville, Vermont (1921), then to a combined lumber and paper business inLincoln, New Hampshire. He also was involved in banking.
Adams entered state politics in New Hampshire as aRepublican legislator (1941–44; Speaker of the House, 1944). He served a term in theUnited States House of Representatives (1945–47), making a failed effort to capture the 1946 Republican gubernatorial nomination in New Hampshire. He lost to incumbentCharles M. Dale. Adams won the governorship two years later, in 1948.
When Adams took office as governor, New Hampshire was suffering post-war recession. He called for frugality and thrift in both personal and state expenditures. Retirees were (and are) a significant part of New Hampshire's population; Adams called for increased state aid for the aged, and for legislation which would enable the state'sseniors to qualify forFederal Old Age & Survivors Insurance. In 1950 he formed a Reorganization Committee to recommend changes in state operations, and he called for the legislature to act on the recommendations. It was during his time as Governor that the New Hampshire Right to Work law (which prevented people being forced to join unions) was repealed.
Adams's clipped New Hampshire twang and calls for frugality made him a virtual poster boy for Republicanbalanced budget values of the time. He served as chairman of theU.S. Conference of Governors (1951–52).
Adams took charge of the Eisenhower campaign in the New Hampshire primary, winning all the delegates to the national convention. He campaigned for Eisenhower across the country, was Eisenhower's floor leader at the convention in battling against Senator Robert A. Taft, and impressed Eisenhower with his hard work, mastery of detail, and skill in political maneuvering. He became the campaign manager for the 1952 presidential campaign, where he was always at Eisenhower's side. He was the obvious choice for White House Chief of Staff—and was the first person in this position to hold the explicit title of "Chief of Staff," which Eisenhower had copied from military practice.[5]
Eisenhower adopted the military model, which emphasizes the importance of the Chief of Staff in handling all of the paperwork and preliminary decisions. With rare exceptions, anyone who spoke with Eisenhower had to have Adams' prior approval. Adams took his role as Chief of Staff very seriously; with the exception of Cabinet members and certain NSC advisors, all requests for access to Eisenhower had to go through his office. This alienated traditional Republican Party leaders.
Adams was one of the most powerful men in Washington during the six years he served as chief of staff. Because of Eisenhower's highly formalized staff structure, it appeared to many that he had virtual control over White House staff operations and domestic policy (a 1956 article inTime entitled "OK, S.A." advanced this perception). The extent of internal strife between strong-willed personalities was chronicled in his 1961 memoirFirst Hand Report. Among the heated conflicts within the Eisenhower administration were the best method to handle flamboyant personalities such as U.S. SenatorJoseph McCarthy, whom Adams and Eisenhower decided to torpedo when McCarthy started attacking the U.S. Army. Adams was a frequent broker of such controversies. Adams was willing to make the partisan comments that Eisenhower stood aloof from, thus making Adams the main target of the Democrats. Adams generally stood with the liberal wing of the Republican Party, in opposition to the conservative wing of Taft and Barry Goldwater. Eisenhower often depended upon him for the evaluation of candidates for top-level appointments. Adams handled much of the patronage and appointments that Eisenhower found boring and also was in charge of firing people when he deemed it necessary.[6]
Movie criticMichael Medved wrote a book on Presidential aides calledThe Shadow Presidents, that stated Adams was probably the most powerful chief of staff in history. He told of a joke that circulated around Washington in the 1950s. Two Democrats were talking and one said "Wouldn't it be terrible if Eisenhower died andNixon became President?" The other replied "Wouldn't it be terrible if Sherman Adams died and Eisenhower became President!"
He had a reputation for negativity, endorsing many submissions with a simple "No". This caused him to become known as "The Abominable No Man."
Adams was forced to resign in 1958, when a House subcommittee revealed Adams had accepted an expensivevicuña overcoat andoriental rug[7] from Bernard Goldfine, a Boston textile manufacturer who was being investigated forFederal Trade Commission violations. Goldfine, who had business with the federal government, was cited for contempt of Congress when he refused to answer questions regarding his relationship with Adams.[8] The story was first reported to the public bymuckraking journalistJack Anderson.
Vice President Richard Nixon stated that he was assigned the onerous responsibility of telling Adams that he had to resign. He regretted the necessity, as Adams' career in politics ended and he went off "to operate a ski lodge" without any judicial findings. Inthe Nixon Interviews, Nixon argued that he was unable to fire the White House staffers involved in the Watergate scandal, much as President Eisenhower was unable to directly fire Adams.[9] However, according toTime's September 29, 1958, article on Adams, the job of firing Adams actually fell toMeade Alcorn, not Nixon.[10]
Adams returned toLincoln, New Hampshire where he started construction onLoon Mountain, today one of the largestski resorts in New England. He was also a member of theSociety of Colonial Wars and theSons of the American Revolution.
Adams died in 1986. His remains are buried at Riverside Cemetery, also in Lincoln.[7]
Adams was married to Rachel Leona White in 1923. They had one son, Samuel, and three daughters, Jean, Sarah and Marion.[7]
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Speaker of theNew Hampshire House of Representatives 1943–1945 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Governor of New Hampshire 1949–1953 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | White House Chief of Staff 1953–1958 | Succeeded by |
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
| Preceded by | Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromNew Hampshire's 2nd congressional district 1945–1947 | Succeeded by |
| Party political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Republican nominee forGovernor of New Hampshire 1948,1950 | Succeeded by |
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| International | |
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| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
