Clarence Raymond Adams (April 10, 1898 – October 15, 1965) was an American mathematician who worked on partial difference equations.

He entered Brown University in the fall of 1915 and graduated in 1918.

Adams received his PhD in 1922 from Harvard University under the direction of G. D. Birkhoff.

On August 17, 1922, he married Rachel Blodgett, who earned a PhD from Radcliffe College in 1921.

In 1923 Adams returned to Brown University as an instructor, then became a full professor in 1936 and eventually chair of the mathematics department from 1942 to 1960.