George Madison Adams was a U.S. Representative

United States House of Representatives

The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...

 from Kentucky

Kentucky

The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...

, nephew of Green Adams

Green Adams

Green Adams was a lawyer and member and functionary of the United States Congress. He was born in Barbourville, Kentucky in 1812.-Biography:...

.

Born in Barbourville, Kentucky

Barbourville, Kentucky

Each year in early October, Barbourville hosts the Daniel Boone Festival commemorating the American pioneer Daniel Boone who explored the area in 1775. The festival features open air concerts, carnival attractions, a beauty pageant, a parade, and other events....

, Adams received private instruction from his father and studied law at Centre College

Centre College

Centre College is a private liberal arts college in Danville, Kentucky, USA, a community of approximately 16,000 in Boyle County south of Lexington, KY. Centre is an exclusively undergraduate four-year institution. Centre was founded by Presbyterian leaders, with whom it maintains a loose...

 in Danville, Kentucky

Danville, Kentucky

Danville is a city in and the county seat of Boyle County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 16,218 at the 2010 census.Danville is the principal city of the Danville Micropolitan Statistical Area, which includes all of Boyle and Lincoln counties....

.
He served as clerk of the circuit court of Knox County, Kentucky

Knox County, Kentucky

Knox County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of 2000, the population was 31,795. Its county seat is Barbourville. The county is named for General Henry Knox...

 from 1859 to 1861.
During the Civil War

American Civil War

The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...

, he raised a company of volunteers and was captain of Company H, 7th Regiment Kentucky Volunteer Infantry

7th Regiment Kentucky Volunteer Infantry

The 7th Kentucky Volunteer Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War.-Service:The 7th Kentucky Infantry was organized at Camp Dick Robinson and mustered in for a three year enlistment on September 22, 1861...

, from 1861 to 1863.
In 1864 was commissioned paymaster with the rank of major.

Adams was elected as a Democrat

Democratic Party (United States)

The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...

 to the Fortieth

40th United States Congress

The Fortieth United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1867 to March 4, 1869, during the third and fourth...

 and to the three succeeding Congresses (March 4, 1867-March 3, 1875).
He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1874 to the Forty-fourth

44th United States Congress

The Forty-fourth United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1875 to March 4, 1877, during the seventh and...

 Congress.

Adams was elected Clerk of the House of Representatives December 6, 1875, during the Forty-fourth Congress, and served until the commencement of the Forty-seventh

47th United States Congress

The Forty-seventh United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1881 to March 4, 1883, during the administration...

 Congress, December 5, 1881.
He was appointed register of the Kentucky land office by Gov. J. Proctor Knott and served from 1884 to 1887.
He was appointed secretary of state for Kentucky by Gov. Simon B. Buckner and served from 1887 to 1891.
He was appointed State railroad commissioner in 1891.
He was appointed United States pension agent at Louisville by President Cleveland and served from 1894 to 1898.
After retirement resided at Winchester, Kentucky

Winchester, Kentucky

Winchester is a city in and the county seat of Clark County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 16,724 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Lexington-Fayette, KY Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:...

, until his death April 6, 1920.
He was interred at Lexington Cemetery.