Adair taught at Princeton University, the College of William and Mary, and the Claremont Graduate School. From 1944 through 1955, Adair was the leading spirit in the launching, editing, and publication of the third series of the William and Mary Quarterly, which became the leading journal in the field of early American history. Adair contributed many influential articles to the Quarterly, including his classic two-part essay, "The Authorship of the Disputed Federalist Papers," and "The Tenth Federalist Revisited." He also wrote many book reviews, showing his mastery of the craft of reviewing and setting a standard for the field.
