The Honorable James A. Baker, III, America’s 61st secretary of state, will be the featured guest at the 2012 installment of the Archie McDonald Speaker Series at Stephen F. Austin State University.

Baker served as secretary of state and chief of staff to President George H. W. Bush, chief of staff and secretary of the treasury to President Ronald Reagan, and undersecretary of commerce to President Gerald Ford. He also led their combined five presidential elections and in 2006 co-chaired the Iraq Study Group.

Baker, a resident of Houston, is the author of “The Politics of Diplomacy: Revolution, War & Peace, 1989-1992” and “Work Hard, Study. . .and Keep Out of Politics!” and is a 1991 recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom. He is a senior partner in the law firm of Baker Botts and honorary chairman of the James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy at Rice University, and he serves on the board of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.

The speaker series event is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Thursday, April 12, in the Grand Ballroom of the Baker Pattillo Student Center on the SFA campus.

“Secretary Baker is one of the most influential policy makers of the 20th century, and, as such, has strongly impacted American politics and foreign affairs for decades,” Dr. Archie McDonald said. “We are honored he has accepted our invitation to participate in the speaker series.”

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Dr. Archie P. McDonald Dr. Archie P. McDonald has taught history at SFA for 48 years and served as director of the East Texas Historical Association and editor of the Association’s Journal for 37 years. He is a past president of the Texas State Historical Association, past vice chair of the Texas Historical Commission and author/editor of more than 20 books on historical topics—and one book of humor titled "Helpful Cooking Hints for HouseHusbands of Uppity Women." Along with teaching, McDonald currently serves SFA as the university/community liaison and is a weekly commentator on National Public Radio. Read More...

The Honorable James A. Baker, III James A. Baker, III has served in senior government positions under three U.S. presidents. He served as the nation's 61st secretary of state from January 1989 through August 1992 under President George Bush. During his tenure at the State Department, Baker traveled to 90 foreign countries as the United States confronted the unprecedented challenges and opportunities of the post–Cold War era. Baker served as the 67th secretary of the treasury from 1985 to 1988 under President Ronald Reagan. As treasury secretary, he was also chairman of the President's Economic Policy Council. From 1981 to 1985, he served as White House chief of staff to President Reagan. Baker's record of public service began in 1975 as under secretary of commerce to President Gerald Ford. It concluded with his service as White House chief of staff and senior counselor to President Bush from August 1992 to January 1993. Read More...

The Archie McDonald Speaker Series was created in 2010 by the SFA College of Liberal and Applied Arts led by Dr. Brian Murphy, dean of the college. The annual event is designed to honor and preserve the legacy of a distinguished scholar, educator and community commentator who brings American culture to the average person. In the tradition of McDonald's writings and oral presentations, the speaker series will host a prominent national figure annually at SFA to discuss contemporary cultural issues—from politics to art. In the process, the national profile of SFA will be enhanced, and the community will be enriched.