Tom Adams was an American politician who served as Lieutenant Governor of Florida (1971-75), Florida Secretary of State (1961-71) and was a member of the Florida state senate (1956-60).

Adams served as Secretary of the Florida Department of Commerce, and was also engaged in real estate and property management ventures for more than 20 years. Prior to his political career, he worked as a timber dealer, was a dairy farm owner-operator (1944-48) and a farmer (1942-61).

His political career ended when Governor Reubin Askew forced him to resign after reports surfaced that the Lieutenant Governor used state employees to work on his private farm in Quincy. It was not the first time Adams was at the center of political controversy in Florida. In 1970, he took a state airplane and disappeared for 18 days to South America, on what he later called, "a goodwill tour." Before Governor Askew forced him to resign, an effort to impeach him fell just 17 votes short, but he was censured. The majority in the Florida House voted in favor of his impeachment (61-55), but this was 17 votes shy of the two-thirds required. The resolution which censured Adams was for "misconduct and misdemeanor" and passed with a 88-26 vote in 1973.

While Adams was embroiled in scandals even after he left public office, no criminal charges were ever filed against him. Most agree that his overall impact on Florida was a positive one, despite some questionable actions and his near-impeachment.

Lt. Gov. Tom Adams was survived by his wife Fran and six children. He was formerly married to Helen Brown, to whom he wed July 30th, 1939.

Full or original name at birth: Thomas Burton Adams, Jr.

Date and place of birth: March 11, 1917, Jacksonville, Florida, U.S.A.

Date, time, place and cause of death: May 22, 2006, at 2:50 p.m., Interstate 10, near Live Oak, Suwanee County, Florida, U.S.A. (Auto accident)

Parents
Father: Thomas Burton Adams
Mother: Carolyn (Hamilton) Adams

Burial site: Fountainhead Memorial Park & Funeral Home, 7303 Babcock Street, SE, Palm Bay, Florida, U.S.A.

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