Ralph Geoffrey Newman (3 November 1911 – 23 July 1998) was an American writer and well knownAbraham Lincoln scholar. He owned the Abraham Lincoln Book Shop, Inc. inChicago, Illinois, and hosted a monthly gathering known as the Civil War Round Table.[1] He was an expert inCivil War-related manuscripts.[1]
He playedminor league second base for Tucson and Wichita.[2][3]
Newman also was anappraiser who evaluated the papers of six United States presidents: Hoover, Truman, Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, and Nixon.[4]
Newman was indicted by a federal grand jury in July 1975 on charges of preparing a falseaffidavit that helpedRichard Nixon obtain an illegal tax break on papers he donated[5] and was convicted in November 1975.[4][6]
Ralph Newman married Estelle Hoffman and they had two daughters, Maxine Newman Brandenburg and Carol Newman Parry. He later remarried, to actress Patricia Lyons. His stepson is NPR hostScott Simon.
