Robert McCormick Adams Jr. (July 23, 1926 – January 27, 2018) was an American anthropologist and secretary of the Smithsonian Institution (1984–94). He worked in both the Near East and Mesoamerica. A long time professor of the University of Chicago, he was best known for his research in Iraq. He served as the provost of the University of Chicago (1982–84).
Secretary of the Smithsonian
thumb|left|Adams and [[Nancy Reagan at the presentation of a portrait head of Grace Kelly at the National Portrait Gallery in October 1986, alongside Kelly's widower, Prince Rainier III of Monaco, and her children, Albert, Caroline and Stéphanie]]
Adams served as the ninth secretary of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., from 1984 to 1994. a member of the United States National Academy of Sciences in 1970, and a member of the American Philosophical Society in 1974. In 1988, he received the Golden Plate Award of the American Academy of Achievement. Adams received the Gold Medal Award for Distinguished Archaeological Achievement in 2002 from the Archaeological Institute of America.