Adam Wyant was born near
Kittanning on his family's rural farm in the village of
Montgomeryville, son of Christian Yerty Wyant and Elizabeth John, both of Washington Township, Armstrong County, Pennsylvania. Adam was named after his paternal grandfather whose ancestors (originally spelled Weyandt) were early German settlers of Bedford County, Pennsylvania arriving in October 1770 from
Freinsheim, Palatinate, Germany. Adam attended the Mount Pleasant Institute, which is located in
Lewisburg, Pennsylvania, and also attended
Bucknell for three years, playing on pioneer football teams there with his brother Andy. When Andy left Bucknell to attend the
University of Chicago Divinity School, Adam followed his brother to Chicago and played
guard for the legendary coach, Amos Alonzo Stagg. In 1895, Adam graduated from the University of Chicago and returned to western Pennsylvania to teach in
Mt. Pleasant. He moved to
Greensburg, Pennsylvania, in 1896. In Greensburg, Wyant was widely known for his football skills and, at 6'0" and 196 pounds, he was considered a big person for that era. In the fall of 1895, was one of four college stars signed to play professionally with the Greensburg Athletic Association. His teammeates consisted of
Lawson Fiscus and
Charlie Atherton. Wyant played
quarterback for the team, a position that was not too different from guard in the style of play at the time. In 1896, while still playing pro football, he became the first principal of
Greensburg High School and soon thereafter became the city's first superintendent of schools. In the summer of 1897, he ended his football career and studied law at the
University of Pittsburgh, and was admitted to the
Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania Bar in 1902. He then commenced the practice of law in Greensburg. He was interested in
coal mining and other business enterprises. In 1910, Wyant married Katherine N. Doty, the daughter of a Westmoreland County judge. In 1920, he was elected as a Republican to the
67th United States Congress. He won the
state's 22nd congressional district with the largest majority ever given a Republican candidate in the district's history. He was then re-elected five more times. He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1932. ==Death==