Brady Leonard Adams (February 28, 1945 – April 6, 2015) was an American politician and banker from Grants Pass. He served eight years in the Oregon State Senate from 1993 through 2000. Adams was a conservative Republican who represented two Southern Oregon counties in the state senate. He was President of the Oregon State Senate during the 1997 and 1999 legislative sessions. During his time in the legislature, Adams was known for his ability to work with the state's Democratic governor as well as his peers in the state legislature. Over the years, he also served on the board of directors for more than 20 non-profit organizations.
Early life
Adams was born on February 28, 1945, in Vanport, Oregon, a community built next to the Columbia River during World War II to provide housing for Portland's shipyard workers. He grew up in poverty. His parents were migrant workers who moved frequently. In addition, his father was an alcoholic who was often absent from the family. His unstable early years helped instill in him a drive to use education to better his position in life.
Adams graduated from North Salem High School in 1963 and then went on to attend Portland State University. He worked his way through college, filling vending machines. In 1965, Adams married Patricia Jean Anderson in a wedding ceremony held in Salem, Oregon. Adams earned a bachelor's degree in marketing from Portland State, graduating in 1969.
Adams moved to Grants Pass in 1971, where he took a job as a loan officer at Evergreen Federal Savings and Loan. He quickly got involved in a wide variety of charitable activities and community projects, serving on the board of directors of many local non-profit groups. Over time, he proved to be a successful banker, becoming president of the Evergreen bank in 1988.
State senator
Adams, a conservative Republican, was first elected to the Oregon State Senate in 1992. He served in the state senate for a total of eight years, completing his last term in 2000. During his tenure in the senate, he was widely recognized as a tough negotiator who worked with Oregon's Democratic governor, John Kitzhaber, and fellow legislators to find middle-ground compromises that resolved important contemporary issues.
In 1992, Adams had decided to run for the Oregon senate seat in District 25, representing parts of Jackson and Josephine counties in Southern Oregon. He faced Drenon Carlyle of Medford in the Republican primary while Rebecca Brown of Williams and Robert Lee of Grants Pass competed for the Democratic nomination for the seat. Adams won the Republican primary, while Brown became the Democratic nominee. In the general election, Adams easily beat Brown with a two-to-one majority; Adams received 27,376 votes against Brown's 13,904 votes. Adams was one of five new Republican senators elected that year.
Adams took his seat in the Oregon State Senate on January 11, 1993, representing District 25. He served through the 1993 regular legislative session which ended on August 5. Adams was appointed to three committees: housing and finance, business, and revenue and school finance. During the session, he criticized the Oregon Land Conservation and Development Department for ignoring local planning commissions. He opposed a bill to ban workplace smoking because he felt the penalties were too harsh. He also voted against a measure to create a state sales tax.
Since state senators served a four-year term, Adams did not have to run for re-election in 1994. Prior to the 1994 general election, the media reported that Adams would be a contender for a Republican leadership position when the state senate was organized for the 1995 legislative session. After the election, Republicans held a 19 to 11 majority in the Oregon State Senate. When senate Republicans organized after the election, they chose Adams as the senate majority leader.
The 1995 legislative session began on January 9 and lasted through June 10. During the session, Adams served as the majority leader, helping the President of the Senate, Gordon H. Smith, push the Republicans' legislative agenda. Adams also served in two special sessions that followed the 1995 regular session. The first special session began on July 28 and lasted through August 4. The second special session, in early 1996, lasted only two days, beginning on February 1 and adjourning the following day.
President of the Senate
In 1996, Adams ran for a second four-year term in Oregon's state senate, again representing District 25. He had no opposition in either the Republican primary or the general election, so he was easily re-elected to a second term.