Brockman Adams was born on January 13, 1927, in Atlanta, Georgia, and began his career in the Air Force during World War II. Following the war, Adams pursued his education, graduating from the University of Washington in 1949 and Harvard Law School in 1952.

Adams served as the U.S. district attorney from the Western District of Washington (1961-1964) and the U.S. Representative from Washington's Seventh District (1965-1977), becoming chairman of the Committee on the Budget.

Adams served as secretary of transportation in the Carter administration from 1977 to 1979. After his term in the cabinet, Adams served as a U.S. senator from Washington from 1987 to 1993. He died in 2004.