Lived: 1722-1803 Samuel Adams was one of the Founding Fathers of the United States and the organizer of the Boston Tea Party. A brewer by trade - for which he is arguably more famous than his political accomplishments - Samuel Adams became one of the most prominent faces in the cry for American independence. Adams was the first to call for a Continental Congress to confer over the fate of the colonies. As a signer of the Declaration of Independence, an ardent anti-federalist and Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts, Adams secured himself a legacy as a powerful proponent of American ideals. Ideals and beer.