Richard A. Baker (historian)

Richard Baker
1st Historian of the United States Senate
In office
1975–2009
Preceded byPosition established
Succeeded byDonald A. Ritchie
Personal details
Born (1940-03-18) March 18, 1940
EducationUniversity of Massachusetts, Amherst (BA)
Michigan State University (MA)
Columbia University (MLS)
University of Maryland, College Park (PhD)

Richard Allan Baker (born March 18, 1940) was the first Historian of the United States Senate, serving through August 2009. He directed the United States Senate Historical Office from the time of its creation in 1975.

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.