Richard Allan Baker (born March 18, 1940) was the first Historian of the United States Senate, serving through August 2009.[1] He directed the United States Senate Historical Office from the time of its creation in 1975.[2]
Richard Baker | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 1st Historian of the United States Senate | |
| In office 1975–2009 | |
| Preceded by | Position established |
| Succeeded by | Donald A. Ritchie |
| Personal details | |
| Born | March 18, 1940 |
| Education | University of Massachusetts, Amherst (BA) Michigan State University (MA) Columbia University (MLS) University of Maryland, College Park (PhD) |
He wrote a weekly column on Senate history for a Washington newspaper (The Hill) and is the co-author (with Neil MacNeil) of the D.B. Hardeman Prize-winning The American Senate: An Insider's History, published in 2013, a history of Senate rules and customs.[3][4]
Education
editBaker graduated with a bachelor's in history from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst in 1962, a master's in history from Michigan State University in 1965, a Master of Library Science from Columbia University in 1968, and a doctorate in history from the University of Maryland, College Park in 1982.[1][5]
Historian of the Senate
editFollowing the Watergate scandal, the US Congress established the office of Senate historian to encourage and formalize record-keeping. Baker assumed the new post in 1975, and would continue in this role for the next 34 years.[1][2]
Beginning in 1997, at the request of Senate Democratic Leader Thomas Daschle, Baker routinely opened the weekly luncheon meetings of the Democratic Caucus of the United States Senate with a brief historical anecdote or minute. These short essays were wide-ranging in topic and highlight recurring themes in the Senate's institutional development.[1] Shortly before Baker's retirement, the Senate passed a unanimous resolution naming him the "historian emeritus of the United States Senate."[2]
In 2009, at the time of Baker's retirement, Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell initiated a similar program for his party's members. Both Democratic and Republican programs are currently active, relying on presentations by the Senate's Historian and Associate Historian.[citation needed]
Authorship
edit- "Conservation Politics: The Senate Career of Clinton P. Anderson" (University of New Mexico Press, 1985)
- "The Senate of the United States: A Bicentennial History" (Krieger, 1988)
- "First Among Equals: Outstanding Senate Leaders of the Twentieth Century" (Congressional Quarterly, 1991) (coeditor)
- "200 Notable Days: Senate Stories 1787 to 2002" (Government Printing Office, 2006)[6]
- "The American Senate: An Insider's History" co-authored with Neil MacNeil (Oxford University Press, 2013)
References
edit- ^ a b c d Fuller, Andrea (August 7, 2009). "Senate Historian Reflects on 34 Years of Queries". The New York Times. Retrieved June 29, 2023.
- ^ a b c "Senate Bids Farewell to Historian Baker". historians.org. American Historical Association. October 1, 2009. Retrieved June 29, 2023.
- ^ Baker, Richard A.; MacNeil, Neil (2013). The American Senate: An Insider's History. Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780195367614.
- ^ "D. B. Hardeman Prize". Lyndon B. Johnson Presidential Library. Retrieved June 29, 2023.
- ^ "Richard Baker: Oral History Transcript" (PDF). www.senate.gov. Retrieved November 12, 2024.
- ^ "Notable Days". www.gpoaccess.gov.