Constitution of Florida
One of the requirements for a United States territory to become a State of the Union is that its constitution must be approved by the United States Congress. In order to fulfill that requirement, an Act was passed by the Florida Territorial Council in 1838, approved by Governor Richard Keith Call, calling for the election of delegates in October 1838 to a convention to be held at St. Joseph, Florida. The delegates were to draft a constitution and bill of rights for the Territory of Florida. The Constitutional Convention convened on December 3, 1838, with Robert R. Reid presiding as president and Joshua Knowles secretary. The work of the Convention was carried out by eighteen committees, whose members were familiar with that particular area of government. The process was a relatively simple one since they used the constitutions of several other Southern states as models. Only on the subject of banking did much debate take place. The Convention adjourned "sine die" on January 11, 1839.
Alto L. Adams
After gaining admission to the bar, Adams "moved to Ft. Pierce to practice law". In 1936, he campaigned for the election of Fred P. Cone as Governor of Florida, "and was rewarded for his
support by an appointment to the circuit bench in 1938 and to the supreme court in 1940". In 1940, the Florida Constitution was amended to add a seventh Justice to the Florida Supreme Court, the seat to which Governor Cone appointed Adams. Adams served on the court until 1951, when resigned to undertake an unsuccessful campaign for governor.