Robert McCormick Adams

American anthropologist and archeologist. He has worked in both the Near East and Mesoamerica. In

scholarly circles, he is best known for his pioneer research in Iraq.

Born in Chicago, he received his doctorate from the University of Chicago in 1957, where he was also

employed as a member of the faculty. Adams served as the ninth secretary of the Smithsonian Institution in

Washington, D.C. from 1984 to 1994. He is currently (2013, at age 87) an adjunct professor at the University

of California, San Diego.