Eric Adams

Eric Adams was born in Brownsville, Brooklyn, to Dorothy and Leroy Adams, and grew up in South Jamaica, Queens.⁠[1]

Adams attended Bayside High School. In his School of Hard Knocks interview, he recalled being beaten by police at 15 and later being encouraged by the Reverend Herbert Daughtry to pursue change from within the system.⁠[1][2]

Adams graduated from the police academy and served in the Transit Police and NYPD. His police career lasted 22 years, ending at the rank of captain.⁠[1][3]

Adams graduated from CUNY’s New York City College of Technology in 1987 with an associate degree in data processing.⁠[4][1]

He co-founded 100 Blacks in Law Enforcement Who Care, addressing relations between policing and Black communities.⁠[1][3]

Adams graduated from CUNY’s John Jay College of Criminal Justice in 1998 with a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice.⁠[4][1]

Adams earned a Master of Public Administration from Marist, which identifies him as a member of its class of 2006.⁠[5]

Adams was elected to represent New York’s 20th State Senate District. The Senate’s archive dates his service from January 1, 2007, to December 31, 2013.⁠[3]

The Senate’s biography records Adams as chair of the Veterans, Homeland Security and Military Affairs Committee and the Racing, Gaming and Wagering Committee during this period.⁠[3]

Adams was elected Brooklyn borough president, becoming the first Black person elected to the office, and subsequently left the State Senate.⁠[5][3]

Adams won re-election as Brooklyn borough president, continuing as the borough’s elected representative.⁠[5]

Hay House released the ebook edition of Healthy at Last. Drawing on personal experience, the book discusses plant-based eating, food traditions in Black communities and recipes as part of his health advocacy.⁠[6]

Adams announced his candidacy for mayor of New York City, bringing his experience in policing and local politics into a citywide campaign.⁠[5]

After winning the Democratic primary, Adams defeated Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa in the mayoral general election.⁠[7]

Adams was sworn in as mayor of New York City, becoming the second Black mayor after David Dinkins. His mayoral term lasted through 2025.⁠[8][5][9]

Federal prosecutors unsealed five criminal counts against Adams involving bribery, fraud and campaign finance. These were prosecution allegations; the case was dismissed the following year without a conviction.⁠[10][11]

The City Council passed an amended version of the City of Yes housing zoning reforms. Promoted by the Adams administration, the changes addressed housing construction, office-to-residential conversions and accessory dwelling units.⁠[12][13]

Judge Dale Ho dismissed the federal case with prejudice, preventing prosecutors from bringing the same charges again. The court expressly stated that the decision did not determine Adams’s guilt or innocence or adjudicate the merits of the allegations.⁠[11]

New York City published a transcript of Adams’s School of Hard Knocks interview. He discussed his childhood, police career and path into politics, alongside listening, delegation and the responsibilities of leadership.⁠[2]

Adams ended his independent campaign for re-election as mayor. He had previously opted out of that year’s Democratic primary and continued serving the remainder of his term after withdrawing.⁠[7]

The city’s official mayoral list records Adams’s term as 2022–2025 and his successor, Zohran Mamdani, as serving from 2026.⁠[9]

After Adams promoted NYC Token, liquidity withdrawals and a price drop drew scrutiny. NY1 reported that his statement denied his team had withdrawn funds and attributed the transactions to adjustments by a market maker.⁠[14]

The Associated Press reported that city lawyers sought to end their representation of Adams in a civil sexual-assault lawsuit concerning allegations from 1993. Adams denied the alleged conduct.⁠[15]

Albanian President Bajram Begaj granted Adams honorary citizenship, a decision reported by the Associated Press on April 10.⁠[16]

X: Personal political account: https://x.com/ericadamsfornyc (opens in a new window). YouTubeYouTubeYouTube is Google’s video-sharing and creator platform, founded in 2005 by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim and acquired by Google in 2006. Built around video uploading, viewing, and creator earnings, the platform has developed Shorts, YouTube Music, Premium, YouTube TV, and products for children, and is headquartered in San Bruno, California, United States.Open the full entry: 2025 campaign channel: https://www.youtube.com/@EricForMayor2025 (opens in a new window). Official links: https://linktr.ee/ericadamsfornyc (opens in a new window).⁠[17][18][19]