Samuel Francis Adams (born September 3, 1963) is an American
politician who is the former mayor of Portland, Oregon. He grew up in
Newport, Oregon, attended the University of Oregon and worked on a
number of campaigns before taking office as a Portland commissioner.
Among them was Vera Katz's run for mayor of Portland. After she won,
he served as her chief of staff for eleven years and then went back to
school, earning a degree in Political Science.In 2004, Adams was
elected to the Portland City Council, serving four years on the
council earning a reputation as a "policy-driven advocate for
sustainability, the arts, and gay rights". He was elected to a
four-year term as mayor of Portland in the May 2008 primary, with 58%
of the vote and a dozen other candidates on the ballot. He was the
first openly gay mayor of a top-30 U.S. city. In July 2011, Adams
announced that he would not seek a second term as mayor. He had an
approval rating of 56% eight months before he left office. In 2020 he
announced his candidacy for Portland City Commission, challenging
incumbent Chloe Eudaly.Samuel Adams was born at St. James Hospital in
Butte, Montana, on September 3, 1963. He is the third of four children
born to Larry Adamsâ€"a special education teacher and high school
basketball coachâ€"and his wife, Karalie (née Gibbons). When Adams
was born his family lived on ranch eight miles outside Whitehall,
Montana. When he was a year old, his family moved to Richland,
Washington, for a year, and then on to Newport, Oregon. His maternal
grandfather Francis Gibbons immigrated from Ireland to Portland.
Because of the Irish birth of his maternal grandfather, Adams holds
dual Irish and American citizenship. In 1966, Adams and his family
moved from Montana to the Oregon coast.As a boy, Adams and his friends
were almost always outside, rain or shine, fishing and crabbing off
the cannery docks and digging for clams in the mudflats. "The only
thing that would bring him inside was food," said Adams' Mom.
politician who is the former mayor of Portland, Oregon. He grew up in
Newport, Oregon, attended the University of Oregon and worked on a
number of campaigns before taking office as a Portland commissioner.
Among them was Vera Katz's run for mayor of Portland. After she won,
he served as her chief of staff for eleven years and then went back to
school, earning a degree in Political Science.In 2004, Adams was
elected to the Portland City Council, serving four years on the
council earning a reputation as a "policy-driven advocate for
sustainability, the arts, and gay rights". He was elected to a
four-year term as mayor of Portland in the May 2008 primary, with 58%
of the vote and a dozen other candidates on the ballot. He was the
first openly gay mayor of a top-30 U.S. city. In July 2011, Adams
announced that he would not seek a second term as mayor. He had an
approval rating of 56% eight months before he left office. In 2020 he
announced his candidacy for Portland City Commission, challenging
incumbent Chloe Eudaly.Samuel Adams was born at St. James Hospital in
Butte, Montana, on September 3, 1963. He is the third of four children
born to Larry Adamsâ€"a special education teacher and high school
basketball coachâ€"and his wife, Karalie (née Gibbons). When Adams
was born his family lived on ranch eight miles outside Whitehall,
Montana. When he was a year old, his family moved to Richland,
Washington, for a year, and then on to Newport, Oregon. His maternal
grandfather Francis Gibbons immigrated from Ireland to Portland.
Because of the Irish birth of his maternal grandfather, Adams holds
dual Irish and American citizenship. In 1966, Adams and his family
moved from Montana to the Oregon coast.As a boy, Adams and his friends
were almost always outside, rain or shine, fishing and crabbing off
the cannery docks and digging for clams in the mudflats. "The only
thing that would bring him inside was food," said Adams' Mom.
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