Jack Adamson

For the literary scholar and university administrator, see Jack H. Adamson.

Jack Adamson
Personal information
Full name	John Henry Adamson
Date of birth	(1873-01-06)6 January 1873
Place of birth	North Melbourne, Victoria
Date of death	2 October 1937(1937-10-02) (aged 64)
Place of death	South Melbourne, Victoria
Original team(s)	Napier Imperial
Position(s)	Forward
Playing career^1
Years	Club	Games (Goals)
1897–1898	South Melbourne	3 (0)
^1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 1898.
Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com

John Henry Adamson (6 January 1873 – 2 October 1937) was an Australian rules footballer who played three games for South Melbourne in the Victorian Football League between 1897 and 1898.[1]

Family

The eldest son of David Anderson (1841–1897),[2] and Elizabeth Calder Adamson (1850–1913), née Hastie,[3][4] John Henry Adamson was born at North Melbourne, Victoria on 6 January 1873. One of his younger brothers, David Hastie "Bud" Adamson (1874–1914), who also played for South Melbourne in both the VFA and VFL, was the South Melbourne (VFL) team's captain in 1899.

He married Jane Ellen "Jennie" Keen (1873–1952), in Fitzroy, Victoria on 28 March 1900.[5]

Education

He was educated at Albert Park State School.

Football

A forward, he was described as being an excellent place kick.

South Melbourne (VFA)

Adamson played for Napier Imperial, the South Melbourne junior side in the Metropolitan Junior Football Association, before graduating to play for four seasons (1893 to 1896) with South Melbourne in the Victorian Football Association.

Adamson won South Melbourne's VFA goal kicking in 1896.[6] He played on the half-forward flank (with his brother Dave, at full-back) in South Melbourne's 1896 premiership match loss to Collingwood.[7][8]

South Melbourne (VFL)

He played (alongside Dave) for South Melbourne, against Melbourne, at the Lake Oval, on 8 May 1897, in the team's first-ever match of the VFL's first season.[9]

Cricket

Adamson was also a noted cricketer; he was a wicketkeeper who played 6 first eleven games for South Melbourne.[10]

Death

Adamson lived in South Melbourne for most of his life and was a member of the local Masonic Lodge. He died at South Melbourne, Victoria on 2 October 1937;[11] and was buried at Melbourne General Cemetery.[12]

Notes

1. Holmesby & Main (2014), p. 11.]
2. Deaths: Adamson, The Argus, (Thursday, 13 May 1897), p.1.
3. Marriages: Adamson—Hastie,, The Argus, (Friday, 22 March 1872), p. 4.
4. Deaths: Adamson, The Argus, (Tuesday, 18 November 1913), p.1.
5. Marriages: Adamson—Keen, The Argus, (Saturday, 28 April 1900), p. 9.
6. "1897 - South Melbourne FC - AGM". Trove Newspapers. Record. 27 March 1897. p. 2. Retrieved 28 January 2021.
7. Football, The Australasian, (Saturday, 10 October 1896), p. 17.
8. Our Own Yesterdays, The (Emerald Hill) Record, (Saturday, 21 September 1935), p. 4.
9. "1897 - Football". Trove Newspapers. Record. 15 May 1897. p. 3. Retrieved 28 January 2021.
10. "Melbourne Premier Cricket: 1st XI Player Register and Career Stats" (PDF). Cricket Victoria. Retrieved 28 January 2021.
11. Deaths: Adamson, The Argus, (Monday, $ October 1937), p. 15.
12. "Death of Local Sportsman: Jack Adamson was Noted Footballer". Emerald Hill Record. 9 October 1937. p. 2. Retrieved 23 June 2015.

References

• Holmesby, Russell & Main, Jim (2014), The Encyclopedia of AFL Footballers: every AFL/VFL player since 1897 (10th ed.), Melbourne, Victoria: Bas Publishing. ISBN 978-1-921496-32-5
• Pennings, Mark (2016), Origins of Australian Football: Victoria's early History: Volume 4: Tough Times: Victorian Football loses its Way, 1891 to 1896, Brunswick, Victoria: Grumpy Monks Publishing. ISBN 978-0-646-93604-8

External links

• Jack Adamson's playing statistics from AFL Tables
• Jack Adamson at AustralianFootball.com