Baker, Russell

Baker, Russell (Wayne)

(1925– ) journalist; born in Loudoun County, Va. Starting as a reporter for the Baltimore Sun, he joined the New York Times in 1954. In 1962, based in Washington, D.C., he launched his "Observer" column, with its wide-ranging, generally humorous observations on politics and life. He won a 1979 Pulitzer Prize for commentary and a 1983 Pulitzer Prize for his best-selling first volume of reminiscences, Growing Up.