Benjamin H. Adams

Benjamin Harrison Adams (November 5, 1888 – May 27, 1989) was a medical officer in the United States Navy who served during World War I and World War II and reached the rank of rear admiral.

Early life and education Adams was born in Armour, South Dakota, son of Winthrop Lucius and Ellen Amelia Adams (née Moore). In 1912 he began attending Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. In 1913 he transferred to Cornell College, in Mount Vernon, Iowa, and again in 1914 to the University of Iowa in Iowa City. He graduated with a Doctor of Medicine in 1918 and briefly served with the United States Army.

In September 1932, Adams reported to his next assignment as a medical examiner at the submarine Base in New London, Connecticut. In October 1934, he finished his assignment and was transferred to the light cruiser . Adams served on the USS Raleigh for a year, and then spent another year aboard the minelayer . In September 1936, Adams returned to shore duty and conducted chemical warfare research at the medical research unit, Edgewood Arsenal in Edgewood, Maryland. After completing his research he attended the staff officers course in chemical warfare. Finishing his assignment in February 1944, he received his second Letter of Commendation from the Secretary of the Navy for his service there. From March 1944 until January 1946, Adams served in the Navy's Bureau of Medicine and Surgery in Washington, D.C. In February 1947, CAPT Adams became the medical officer in command of the US Naval Academy Hospital in Annapolis, Maryland.

Post-War and retirement

In August 1949 he became a member of the Naval Retiring Review Board. A few months later, Adams became a senior medical member of the Physical Evaluation Board of the Potomac River Naval Command in Washington, D.C. He kept this position until his retirement on December 1, 1950. After his retirement, Adams was promoted to the rank of rear admiral

Adams and his wife settled on a farm in the Abingdon, Maryland, area after his retirement. Adams was a member of the Mayflower Society and a volunteer with the American Red Cross. Adams was honoured in 1985, when he was designated as a Harford County Living Treasure. He died at Church Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland, at age 100. His body was interred in the United States Naval Academy Cemetery in Annapolis, Maryland.

Awards