The airport was originally named Adams Field after Captain George Geyer Adams, 154th Observation Squadron, Arkansas National Guard, who was killed in the line of duty on September 4, 1937. He was a strong advocate for the airport, and also a Little Rock city councilor. American Airlines was the first airline to serve Little Rock when it first landed at Adams Field on June 19, 1931. During World War II the airfield was used by the United States Army Air Forces Third Air Force for antisubmarine patrols and training. In 1972 the airport opened its current 12-gate terminal. In August 2008, the airport approved a plan to renovate the terminal over a 15-year period. This would expand the terminal from 12 to 16 gates. On March 20, 2012, the municipal airport commission voted to rename the airport the Bill and Hillary Clinton National Airport, named after Arkansas native, former Governor and United States President Bill Clinton and his wife, United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. The name Adams Field will continue to be used when referring to the airport's runways and air traffic, and will be the airport's official designator. In 2017, Republican state Sen. Jason Rapert filed a bill that would have forced the airport to be renamed but relented when he found little support for the measure. In October 2013, Travel + Leisure released a survey of travelers that ranked Clinton National Airport as the worst of the 67 domestic airports considered in the survey. The survey report cited long lines and few food and shopping choices, among other criticisms. A survey commissioned by the airport contradicted Travel + Leisure's claim, finding that more than 90% of passengers were satisfied with their experience. In March 2024, the Clinton National Airport's executive director Bryan Malinowski was killed in a shootout with Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) agents attempting to conduct a pre-dawn raid on his home. An affidavit accused him of illegal gun sales.