Sherman Adams Biography

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World of Criminal Justice on Sherman Adams

Sherman Adams, one of the most influential figures in the Eisenhower White House, is best known today for having resigned his position in a scandal known as the "Vicuna Coat Affair." Adams admitted having received several gifts and loans from a close friend who was allegedly seeking government favors. Adams' more important legacy, however, is that he created the model, still followed today, of the strong White House chief of staff

Llewellyn Sherman Adams was born in East Dover, Vermont, on January 8, 1899, the son of grocers Clyde and Winnie Sherman Adams. He was raised in Providence, Rhode Island (where the family moved shortly after his birth), and served as a Marine in World War I. Upon his return, he entered Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire, graduating in 1920. He married Rachel White in 1923.

Adams' first career reflected his love of the outdoors. He took a job as a clerk at a lumber company in Vermont. He later worked for a lumber concern in New Hampshire, where he rose to the position of treasurer. In 1940 he began his political career. He ran as a Republican in the New Hampshire State Legislature and served two terms. He ran for the U.S. Congress in 1944 and served a term before returning to New Hampshire to run for Governor in 1946. He lost but ran again in 1948, this time successfully. He was reelected in 1950.

During these years Adams established himself as a fairly conservative Republican, but in 1952 he supported General Dwight D. Eisenhower over the more conservative Robert Taft for the presidency. Adams' influential position as governor helped Eisenhower win the Republican primary there, and Eisenhower went on to win the presidency in November. After he became president, he named Adams his chief of staff.

As chief of staff, Adams was responsible for the day-to-day running of operations in the White House. He quickly established himself as a strong and forceful leader with a no-nonsense reputation. In this role he was particularly important during Eisenhower's illnesses (including a heart attack) in the mid-1950s. Upon Adams' death, the New York Times noted that a popular joke of the time was the question, "What if Adams should die and Eisenhower becomes president""

In June of 1958, however, Adams was called before the House Subcommittee on Legislative Oversight to answer charges that he had received gifts for influence. The best known of these gifts was an overcoat made of vicuna (an expensive wool-like fabric), but other gifts included loans, hotel expenses, and a $2,400 Oriental rug. The gifts came from Bernard Goldfine, a friend of Adams and an important textile manufacturer in New England. Although Adams denied that he had accepted the gifts in exchange for favors, he had approached the Federal Trade Commission and the Securities and Exchange Commission on Goldfine's behalf. At the time, the rules on gifts to government officials were less clear than they are today, but Adams' reputation was irreparably damaged. He resigned on September 22, 1958. (Goldfine was later indicted on tax evasion charges.)

Adams remained active, lecturing at colleges and writing his memoir, Firsthand Report: The Story of the Eisenhower Administration, in 1961. He opened a ski resort at Loon Mountain, near Lincoln, New Hampshire, in 1966; an avid skier himself, he continued skiing into his 70s. His wife died in 1979, and Adams followed her on October 27, 1986.