Jeff Denham: “I yield myself such time as I may consume. H.R. 1791 would designate the United States courthouse currently under…”

“I yield myself such time as I may consume. H.R. 1791 would designate the United States courthouse currently under construction at 101 South United States Route 1 in Fort Pierce, Florida, as the Alto Lee Adams, Sr., United States Courthouse. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Rooney) for introducing this bipartisan legislation. I also want to thank the 21 cosponsors from the State of Florida for supporting this bill. Chief Justice Alto Lee Adams, Sr., honorably served his community and the State of Florida throughout his life. Chief Justice Adams was born in 1899 and was raised on a farm in Walton County, Florida. After graduating from the University of Florida College of Law in 1921, he practiced law in Fort Pierce, Florida, from 1924 to 1938. He was then appointed as circuit court judge for St. Lucie County. After Floridians adopted an amendment to add a seventh justice on the State supreme court in 1940, Governor Fred Cone appointed Chief Justice Adams to the newly created seat. Chief Justice Adams served on the court from 1940 until 1951, and he was chief justice from 1949 until 1951. He sat on the bench again from 1967 until 1968. Outside of his judicial career, Chief Justice Adams was active in his community. In 1937 he served as the president of the Florida State Elks Association. From '37 to '38, he served as the vice chair of the State welfare board. Chief Justice Adams also devoted time to local business interests in St.…”