James Adams (lawyer)

James Adams (January 24, 1783 – August 11, 1843) was a nineteenth-century Illinois lawyer and close friend of Joseph Smith, founder of the Latter Day Saint movement.

James Adams, the son of Parmenio Adams and Cleo Nering, was born on January 24, 1783, at Simsbury, Connecticut. He married Harriet Denton (1787–1844) in 1809 at Hartford, Connecticut, and later moved to Oswego, New York. He served in the United States Army during the War of 1812. In 1821 he settled in Springfield, Illinois where he became a pioneer attorney of Sangamon County. He was elected justice of the peace in 1823. He served in the Winnebago War in 1827, as well as the Black Hawk War in 1831-1832. Because of his military service he was often addressed as "General Adams." He was an unsuccessful candidate for Governor of Illinois in 1834. He participated in a long-running newspaper battle with Abraham Lincoln beginning in May 1837, over the transfer of a city lot. He was made a probate judge in 1841. He was also longstanding member of the Masonic fraternity. He was the first Worshipful Master of Springfield Lodge No. 4 A.F.& A.M. in Springfield, Illinois in 1839.

It is not known how Adams came into contact with Mormonism, but he converted in 1836. He apparently first met Joseph Smith in 1839, when the Mormon prophet preached in Springfield in November 1839, when he was on his way to Washington, D.C. Adams invited Smith to his home. The meeting of the two resulted in an enduring friendship; upon meeting Adams, Smith wrote in his diary that he "treated me like a father."

...
Wikipedia