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J. Adam Bede
Member of the U. S. House of Representatives from Minnesota's 8th congressional district
In office March 4, 1903 – March 3, 1909
Preceded by	none
Succeeded by	Clarence B. Miller
Personal details
Born	(1856-01-13)January 13, 1856 Eaton Township, Lorain County, Ohio, US
Died	April 11, 1942(1942-04-11) (aged 86) Duluth, Minnesota, US
Political party	Republican
Alma mater	Oberlin College Tabor College
Profession	Teacher, Printer, Speaker

James Adam Bede (January 13, 1856 – April 11, 1942) was an American politician who served as U.S. Representative from Minnesota.

Early life and education

Bede and his twin brother were born on a farm in Eaton Township, Lorain County, Ohio. He spent his boyhood on a farm and attended the public schools of Ohio, Oberlin College, and Tabor College in Tabor, Iowa, and read law while learning the printing trade.

Career

Bede taught school in Iowa, Ohio, and Arkansas. He was editor and publisher of several newspapers and periodicals, and served as a representative for several western newspapers in Washington, D.C. In 1886, he moved to Minnesota. He was engaged in newspaper work at Pine City, Minnesota, and spoke at the first annual dinner of the Associated Press in New York. Bede served as United States marshal for the district of Minnesota in 1894 during the Pullman strike, and was elected as a Republican to the 58th, 59th, and 60th Congresses, (March 4, 1903 – March 3, 1909). His candidacy for renomination to the 61st Congress in 1908 was unsuccessful, and he returned to Pine City, where he was engaged as a publisher and lecturer. Bede moved to Duluth, Minnesota, in 1927, where he continued lecturing and publishing, and developed an interest in the Saint Lawrence Seaway project. Bede went on to represent St. Louis County in the Minnesota House of Representatives from 1931–1932.

Bede was noted for his humor and speaking style. In an April 28, 1912 article titled "How humor Enlivens the Solemn Work of Congress," the New York Times reported:

Adam Bede was one of the most popular stump speakers and spellbinders of the present generation. His speeches were full of dry humor and his droll manner of illustrating his arguments by stories of the day never failed to win the applause of his audiences.

In his book The Homesteaders, recounting life in rural Pine County in the early 20th century, O. Bernard Johnson describes Bede's speaking style as follows:

J. Adam Bede of Pine City, was a congressman in the early 1900s. He was a great humorist and had a rapid fire delivery. When running for reelection he spoke in our schoolhouse and had the audience in stitches during his entire speech. If he said anything seriously about the issues of the day no one can recall, but I am sure that his humor got him many votes.

Personal

Bede was married and had seven children. He died in Duluth, Minnesota, April 11, 1942 and is buried in Birchwood Cemetery, Pine City, Minnesota.

References

1. ^ Steam Shovel and Dredge, Volume 12, p. 606.
2. New York Times, Thurs., Dec. 17, 1903, Page 7
3. "Bede, James Adam "J. Adam" - Legislator Record - Minnesota Legislators Past & Present". www.lrl.mn.gov. Retrieved 2023-11-07.

External links

• United States Congress. "J. Adam Bede (id: B000297)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.

• 1856 births
• 1942 deaths
• Republican Party members of the Minnesota House of Representatives
• Oberlin College alumni
• La Salle Extension University alumni
• United States Marshals
• People from Pine City, Minnesota
• People from Lorain County, Ohio
• Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Minnesota
• American lawyers admitted to the practice of law by reading law
• Tabor College (Iowa) alumni
• American twins
• 20th-century members of the United States House of Representatives