Judge J. Kent Adams, who presided over one of the Houston area’s busiest justice of the peace courts for 13 years, died Saturday morning at his home on Lake Livingston. He was 74 and had been ill with cancer, his family said.

A lawyer by training, Adams was appointed in March 2001 as presiding judge in Harris County Justice of the Peace Court, precinct 4, position 1. The court, which serves a population of about 1 million in the burgeoning Spring area, is often packed with people involved in cases ranging from traffic tickets to small civil claims.

The Harris County Commissioners Court appointed Adams to the bench, and voters reelected him three times, most recently in 2012 to a four-year term.

Active in Boy Scouts

Precinct 4 Constable Ron Hickman, who for 13 years worked down the hall from Adams in the courthouse at 6831 Cypresswood Drive in Spring, remembered the judge as a dedicated public servant who treated his three dozen employees like family.

“He cared about kids and wanted to get them on the right path,” Hickman said.

As an active Boy Scouts leader, Adams took an interest in young males who showed up in his courtroom, especially those ages 11 to 13, a span that tends to be overlooked, Hickman said.

“He worked out deals with parents to get kids into Scouts as an alternative to community service,” the constable said. “The last I knew, he had five Eagle Scouts that had completed the program in lieu of sentencing.”

A lifelong Houston-area resident and son of a merchant marine, Adams earned a bachelor’s degree in business from the University of Houston and a law degree from South Texas College of Law. He also served in the U.S. Army.

The judge was a founder and first president of the 40-year-old Northwest Harris County Chamber of Commerce.

Patron of the arts

Among numerous other civic activities, Adams was among the founders and supporters of the Foundation for Arts and Community Enrichment, known as the Centrum, and the Pearl Fincher Museum of Fine Arts. He was also active with the Harris County Barbara Bush library, Hickman said.

Adams is survived by his wife, Pauline Adams; three sons, Jon Kevin Adams of Memphis, Tenn., Lee Cameron Adams of San Antonio and Allen Kent Adams of Panama City, Fla.; a daughter, Wenday Adams Riley of Raleigh, N.C.; and a stepson, Jerry Dunlap.

Services are scheduled for 11 a.m. Thursdayat Cypress Creek Christian Church, 6823 Cypresswood Drive.