Russell Baker Biography

Born asRussell Wayne Baker
Occup.Journalist
FromUSA
SpousePhyllis Baker
BornAugust 14, 1925
Morrisonville, Virginia, USA
DiedJanuary 21, 2019
Leesburg, Virginia, USA
CauseNatural Causes
Aged93 years
Early Life and Education And Learning
Russell Wayne Baker was born on August 14, 1925, in Morrisonville, Virginia. He was the child of Benjamin Rex Baker as well as Lucy Elizabeth Robinson Baker. He grew up throughout the Great Depression, which substantially influenced his family situations and, eventually, his writing. The Baker household moved frequently due to monetary problems, at some point settling in Baltimore, Maryland.

Baker graduated from Johns Hopkins University in 1947 with a Bachelor of Arts level in English. He briefly went to the University of Maryland's legislation college yet swiftly recognized that going after a profession in regulation was not something he was enthusiastic around.

Journalism Career
Russell Baker started his occupation as a journalist at The Baltimore Sun, functioning there from 1947 to 1954. Throughout this time around, he covered numerous beats, such as local information, and also obtained experience as a rewrite male. In 1953, Baker was prepared right into the U.S. Army as well as served until 1955. After being discharged, he returned to journalism.

In 1957, Baker joined The New York Times as a White House contributor, covering the in 2014 of President Dwight D. Eisenhower's administration. He continued in this function throughout the first year of John F. Kennedy's presidency. Baker later on invested a year as the newspaper's London correspondent.

In 1962, Baker went back to the U.S. as well as started creating the "Observer" column for The New York Times, which he would certainly proceed for over 32 years. The column, a mix of humor, witticism, and commentary, covered a wide variety of subjects-- from national politics to daily life. Baker's witty as well as insightful creating style made him a huge following as well as a credibility as one of America's leading satirists and columnists.

Books and also Other Writings
Russell Baker was also a prolific author, authoring a number of best-selling books throughout his profession. In 1979, he released "Growing Up", a narrative recalling his childhood throughout the Great Depression. Guide won the Pulitzer Prize for Biography in 1983. Various other publications authored by Baker consist of "Poor Russell's Almanac" (1972), "The Good Times" (1989), and "Looking Back" (2002).

Along with his publications, Baker contributed essays as well as posts to numerous magazines, consisting of Harper's, Atlantic Monthly, and Esquire. He additionally created numerous plays, such as "Poor Little Rich Girl" (1975) and "A Good Time" (1987).

Television and Other Media
Russell Baker's career exceeded print journalism. In 1993, he ended up being the host of PBS's "Masterpiece Theatre", a function he held till 2004. Baker contributed to various other television programs and also docudramas as well, consisting of looks on CBS's "60 Minutes" as well as "The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson".

Honors as well as Honors
Throughout his illustrious occupation, Russell Baker obtained numerous accolades for his job as a journalist and also writer. In 1979, he was granted the Pulitzer Prize for his "Observer" columns, and also in 1983, he won a 2nd Pulitzer for his narrative, "Growing Up". Baker was likewise the recipient of the George Polk Award for Commentary in 1980.

In 1991, Baker was chosen to the American Academy of Arts and Letters, and in 2000, he received the Elijah Parish Lovejoy Award for his contributions to journalism. In 2002, he was honored with the Ernie Pyle Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Society of Newspaper Columnists.

Personal Life
Russell Baker wed Mimi Maxmen in 1950, as well as the pair had 3 kids: Kasia, Allen, and also Michael. Baker was known to be a personal man, maintaining his personal life separate from his public identity as a journalist as well as satirist.

Fatality
Russell Baker passed away on January 21, 2019, at his home in Leesburg, Virginia. The cause of death was complications from an autumn. He was 93 years old.

In conclusion, Russell Baker was a very prominent journalist, author, and also commentator, whose humor as well as understanding left a considerable influence on the globe of journalism. With a career spanning over 6 years, Baker's long lasting legacy is his capability to tackle intricate concerns with wit, compassion, as well as grace, which remains to inspire new generations of journalists and readers alike.

Our collection contains 29 quotes who is written / told by Russell, under the main topics: Education - Nature - Parenting - Science.

Related authors: Dwight D. Eisenhower (President), John F. Kennedy (President), Johnny Carson (Comedian), Ernie Pyle (Journalist), Lawrence Taylor (Athlete)

Russell Baker Famous Works:
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29 Famous quotes by Russell Baker

Small: Americans like fat books and thin women
"Americans like fat books and thin women"
Small: Misery no longer loves company. Nowadays it insists on it
"Misery no longer loves company. Nowadays it insists on it"
Small: An educated person is one who has learned that information almost always turns out to be at best incomp
"An educated person is one who has learned that information almost always turns out to be at best incomplete and very often false, misleading, fictitious, mendacious - just dead wrong"
Small: Ah, summer, what power you have to make us suffer and like it
"Ah, summer, what power you have to make us suffer and like it"
Small: Dont try to make children grow up to be like you, or they may do it
"Don't try to make children grow up to be like you, or they may do it"
Small: It seems to be a law in American life that whatever enriches us anywhere except in the wallet inevitabl
"It seems to be a law in American life that whatever enriches us anywhere except in the wallet inevitably becomes uneconomic"
Small: Anticipating that most poetry will be worse than carrying heavy luggage through OHare Airport, the publ
"Anticipating that most poetry will be worse than carrying heavy luggage through O'Hare Airport, the public, to its loss, reads very little of it"
Small: You cant enjoy light verse with a heavy heart
"You can't enjoy light verse with a heavy heart"
Small: The goal of all inanimate objects is to resist man and ultimately defeat him
"The goal of all inanimate objects is to resist man and ultimately defeat him"
Small: Objects can be classified scientifically into three major categories: those that dont work, those that
"Objects can be classified scientifically into three major categories: those that don't work, those that break down and those that get lost"
Small: Usually, terrible things that are done with the excuse that progress requires them are not really progr
"Usually, terrible things that are done with the excuse that progress requires them are not really progress at all, but just terrible things"
Small: The worst thing about being a tourist is having other tourists recognize you as a tourist
"The worst thing about being a tourist is having other tourists recognize you as a tourist"
Small: In America, it is sport that is the opiate of the masses
"In America, it is sport that is the opiate of the masses"
Small: Children rarely want to know who their parents were before they were parents, and when age finally stir
"Children rarely want to know who their parents were before they were parents, and when age finally stirs their curiosity, there is no parent left to tell them"
Small: Caution: These verses may be hazardous to your solemnity
"Caution: These verses may be hazardous to your solemnity"
Small: A group of politicians deciding to dump a President because his morals are bad is like the Mafia gettin
"A group of politicians deciding to dump a President because his morals are bad is like the Mafia getting together to bump off the Godfather for not going to church on Sunday"
Small: When it comes to cars, only two varieties of people are possible - cowards and fools
"When it comes to cars, only two varieties of people are possible - cowards and fools"
Small: The only thing I was fit for was to be a writer, and this notion rested solely on my suspicion that I w
"The only thing I was fit for was to be a writer, and this notion rested solely on my suspicion that I would never be fit for real work, and that writing didn't require any"
Small: Is fuel efficiency really what we need most desperately? I say that what we really need is a car that c
"Is fuel efficiency really what we need most desperately? I say that what we really need is a car that can be shot when it breaks down"
Small: What the New Yorker calls home would seem like a couple of closets to most Americans, yet he manages no
"What the New Yorker calls home would seem like a couple of closets to most Americans, yet he manages not only to live there but also to grow trees and cockroaches right on the premises"
Small: Reporters thrive on the worlds misfortune. For this reason they often take an indecent pleasure in even
"Reporters thrive on the world's misfortune. For this reason they often take an indecent pleasure in events that dismay the rest of humanity"
Small: In America nothing dies easier than tradition
"In America nothing dies easier than tradition"
Small: Poetry is so vital to us until school spoils it
"Poetry is so vital to us until school spoils it"
Small: People who say youre just as old as you feel are all wrong, fortunately
"People who say you're just as old as you feel are all wrong, fortunately"
Small: In an age when the fashion is to be in love with yourself, confessing to be in love with somebody else
"In an age when the fashion is to be in love with yourself, confessing to be in love with somebody else is an admission of unfaithfulness to one's beloved"
Small: People seem to enjoy things more when they know a lot of other people have been left out of the pleasur
"People seem to enjoy things more when they know a lot of other people have been left out of the pleasure"
Small: Live by publicity, youll probably die by publicity
"Live by publicity, you'll probably die by publicity"
Small: I gave up on new poetry myself 30 years ago when most of it began to read like coded messages passing b
"I gave up on new poetry myself 30 years ago when most of it began to read like coded messages passing between lonely aliens in a hostile world"
Small: Inanimate objects can be classified scientifically into three major categories those that dont work, th
"Inanimate objects can be classified scientifically into three major categories; those that don't work, those that break down and those that get lost"