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Posted: Tue Jun 23rd, 2009 08:20 pm |
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RANDALL CHASE
Associated Press Writer
DOVER, Del. (AP) — Thurman Adams Jr., a veteran lawmaker and leader of the Delaware state Senate, died Tuesday of pancreatic cancer, Senate officials said. He was 80.
Adams, a lifelong Bridgeville resident and agribusinessman first elected to the Senate in 1972, died at Kent General Hospital in Dover, where he had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer after entering the hospital for tests on June 16.
Adams was a leader among conservative Democrats in the Senate, where he served longer than any other lawmaker in state history. His easygoing, polite demeanor belied a political power that often frustrated opponents, especially those pushing liberal social issues. He was known for assigning bills he disliked to committees where he knew they would languish and die, a practice opponents decried as the "desk drawer veto."
Adams, a graduate of the University of Delaware, owned and operated T.G. Adams & Sons, a feed and grain business founded by his father. He was a strong supporter of agriculture throughout his career.
"He really loved the people of Delaware," said daughter Polly Mervine. "His hobby was public service."
Adams served on the state highway commission from 1961 to 1970 and chaired the governor's safety committee from 1966 to 1969. He was named Senate majority leader in 1999 and became president pro tem in 2003.
Republican U.S. Rep. Michael Castle, who worked with Adams as both a fellow legislator and governor, described him as "a strong and trusted leader" who always worked "to achieve the greater good for Delaware."
"His word was his bond, and I was able to confide in him many times over the years," Castle said.
Among the legislation for which Adams is best known was a bill in the late 1980s authorizing the development of an enhanced 911 communications system, which allows authorities to trace the origin of an incoming emergency call. The legislation reportedly was prompted by an incident in which a 5-year-old girl called 911 after her parents had been shot to death but was unable to tell authorities where she lived.
Adams also was known for legislation allowing motorists to turn right on red lights after stopping at intersections, and a bill allowing citizens to mail in fines and fees instead of having to travel to state offices to pay them in person.
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