James Abdnor was born on February 13, 1923, in Kennebec, South Dakota, to immigrant Lebanese parents. He served in the U.S. Army during World War II from 1942 to 1943 before graduating from the University of Nebraska in 1945 with a degree in business administration. After his education, he returned to Kennebec to work as a teacher, coach, and farmer-rancher, eventually managing a 4,400-acre operation.
His political career in South Dakota began in the early 1950s when he served as the first assistant chief clerk of the State House of Representatives. In 1956, he was elected to the South Dakota Senate, where he served until 1968. During this time, he was the chairman of the Joint Appropriations Committee for ten years and served as the President pro tempore from 1967 to 1968. In 1968, he was elected as the 30th Lieutenant Governor of South Dakota, serving under Governor Frank Farrar from 1969 to 1970.
Abdnor moved to the federal level in 1972 when he was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives for South Dakota's 2nd district. He held this seat until 1981, at which point he successfully challenged incumbent George McGovern for a seat in the U.S. Senate. As a senator, Abdnor focused on agricultural issues, rural water development, and fiscal policy, serving on the Appropriations and Environment and Public Works committees. After losing his 1986 re-election bid to Tom Daschle, he was appointed by President Ronald Reagan to serve as the Administrator of the Small Business Administration from 1987 to 1989. Abdnor died on May 16, 2012, at the age of 89.