Henry Cullen Adams was born on November 28, 1850 in Verona, New York, United States. He was the son of Caroline Shepard and Benjamin Franklin Adams, a professor of the classical languages in Hamilton College. During his early youth the family moved to southern Wisconsin.
Adams was educated in country schools, and then he entered Albion College for one year and then spent three years in the University of Wisconsin.
Adams' fragile health gave way under the stress of study. On the advice of his physician he left and went to Colorado, where his health temporarily improved. Returning to his father's farm near Madison, Wisconsin, he entered with enthusiasm into farm life. He was a leader in farmers' institutes under the auspices of the Wisconsin Agricultural College and became president of the State Horticultural Society and of the Dairymen's Association of Wisconsin. He was a member of the state legislature for two terms and was Dairy and Food Commissioner from 1895 to 1902. In the latter year he was elected to Congress by a plurality of 3, 034 votes; in 1904 he was reelected by a plurality of 7, 508.
At that time the question of whether Arizona and New Mexico should be admitted into the Union as separate states or as one state was before Congress. In the vacation preceding the meeting of the Fifty-ninth Congress Adams made a journey to these two territories for the purpose of studying in person the problems of statehood. He became convinced that the two territories were so different in the character of their inhabitants and in the nature of their prospective duties as states that a combination of the two would be unwise. He therefore espoused dual statehood, and it was largely through his influence that the Fifty-ninth Congress admitted New Mexico and Arizona to the family of states as two distinct entities. The Meat Inspection bill was at first opposed by the packers, who hardly realized the benefit which would accrue to them as well as to the consumers through having at the time of slaughter a regular meat inspection which would ensure the absence of trichina. Adams took an active part in bringing the packers and the proponents of the measure into harmony, and the prompt adoption of this measure was largely due to his good judgment in bringing the warring factions to one common purpose. There was no inherent opposition of any consequence to his pet measure, the Adams Act, but the United States had recently appropriated one hundred million dollars a year for the construction of new battleships, and the proposal to spend an additional million for the benefit of agriculture seemed to many a gross extravagance. But Adams succeeded so well in overcoming this opposition that, when the vote was taken, in both the House and the Senate practically unanimous approval was given to his plan.
It is small wonder that all this extraordinary activity in legislation should have exhausted his vitality. In the full enjoyment of his victories he died on his way home at the end of the first session of the Fifty-ninth Congress.
Adams' most important achievements occurred during his second term in Congress, when he took a leading part in securing the passage of four great constructive measures: the act admitting to statehood New Mexico and Arizona, the National Food and Drugs Act, the Meat Inspection Law, and the Adams Act, providing funds for agricultural researches.
Adams was a progressive Republican and supporter of Robert M. La Follette. He worked for passage of the Meat Inspection Act and the Pure Food and Drug Act.
On October 15, 1878 Adams married Anne Burkley Norton, great-grand-daughter of Mary Smith, sister of Abigail Smith, the wife of President John Adams. They had two daughters.
