He was a Progressive Conservative member of the House of Commons of Canada who represented the riding of York West from 1940 to 1954.

[1] He was the son of Agar Adamson, who commanded Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry from 1916 to 1918 during World War I.

At the age of 17, he enlisted in the Royal Air Force and served as a pilot in 1918 in the last year of World War I.

He was trained as a mining engineer and worked for Brazilian Traction in South America and Ontario Hydro.

Shortly after he was elected he took leave from parliament to serve overseas in the army with the Lorne Scots regiment.