Russell Baker

Arkansas History Commission Archivist-Retired

Russell P. Baker, archivist, lecturer, historian, teacher, and author, is a native of Arkansas. He attended the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville, where he became a member of Phi Beta Kappa and received a B.A. in History in 1967. In 1985 he was granted a M.A. degree in Public History by the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. In 2009, he retired after nearly 40 years with the Arkansas History Commission and State Archives in Little Rock, where he was that institution’s Archival Manager. When he retired, he was Arkansas senior archivist. Over the years, he has taught history and archival courses at several local colleges and universities, including UALR and Pulaski County Technical College. Currently, he is on the facility of the University of Phoenix, Little Rock campus.

Mr. Baker is the author of several award winning historical and genealogical publications. His Historical Directory of Arkansas Post Offices 1832 - 1971 and Arkansas Township Atlas, recently revised and reprinted, are modern classics. During his professional career, he has contributed articles on southern history and religion to local, regional, and national publications. He is also the author of a number of articles for the new online Encyclopedia of Arkansas.

He is a frequent lecturer on modern family history research theory at regional and national genealogical conferences and has taught in a number of the Society of American Archivists’ continuing education programs. He is a retired member of the Society of American Archivists and the Academy of Certified Archivists. He has been a certified archivist since 1989. He is a life member of the Arkansas Genealogical Society and has served on its board of directors for almost three decades. He is a past president of that organization.

In September of 2009, Mr. Baker received Director’s Award of the Federation of Genealogical Societies, at that organization’s national conference in Little Rock, Arkansas. He received the award in recognition of his outstanding service to Arkansas, his contributions to the archival and genealogical community and his many other accomplishments.

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Activity at the tables during Saturday's Ancestor Fair, 2008.

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