The Grange Hall of Fame
Dudley Adams
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Name: Dudley W. Adams
Date or Year plus Place Born: November 30, 1831 Winchester, Massachusetts
Date or Year plus Place Died: February 13, 1897 Tangerine, Florida
Residence as an adult: Iowa and Florida
Biography:
Adams helped organize the third active Grange in Iowa in 1869. In 1871, he was elected the first Master of the Iowa State Grange and during his 2-year term went from less than a dozen Granges in Iowa to over 800. At the 1872 National Grange Convention, Adams was the first State Master to attend a NG Convention as was elected Lecturer. At the Sixth National Grange Convention in 1873, he was elected as the second Master of the National Grange. 28 State Granges were instituted from 1873-1875 and the number of new Granges and members grew like wildfire. Adams was one of the first to see the need for caution in restricting membership to legitimate farm and rural families. The Declaration of Purposes was adopted at the Seventh National Grange Convention in 1874. He worked tirelessly during his term to advance the cause of farmers, especially in the area of railroad regulation, and these efforts paid off with the passage of the first railroad regulating legislation in the nation.
While in Iowa, Adams was involved in both city and county affairs. He was a Surveyor, County Assessor, president of the District School Board, Township Trustee, County Supervisor and other various public trusts. In 1854 he was chosen as president of the newly organized Allamakee County Agricultural Society. Soon after, he became Secretary of the State Horticultural Society of Iowa. After his term as National Grange Master, he later moved to Florida seeking relief from a bronchial ailment. He organized the Tangerine Development in 1885 and dedicated a community school in 1886. In 1888, he helped organize and lay the foundation for the Florida State Horticultural Society in Ocala and was elected their first president.
In 1871 he showed 100 apple varieties at the State Horticultural Society of Iowa exhibit and won the Society’s sweepstakes for his booth. He repeated this accomplishment winning in 1879 showing 172 apple varieties. He was put in charge of the one of the first Florida Citrus exhibits at the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair, the first of its kind held anywhere in the world. He was a firm believer in advertising and promoting Florida Citrus and was appointed to a committee to publish a booklet about Orange County, which was to be distributed at the Cotton States and International Exposition in Atlanta in 1895.
