Ralph Geoffrey Newman (3 November 1911 - 23 July 1998) was an American author and well known Abraham Lincoln scholar. He owned the Abraham Lincoln Book Shop in Chicago, Illinois, and hosted a monthly gathering known as the Civil War Round Table.[1] He was an expert in Civil War-related manuscripts.[1]
He played minor league second base for Tucson and Wichita.[2][3]
Newman also was an appraiser who evaluated the papers of six United States presidents: Hoover, Eisenhower, Truman, Kennedy, Johnson, and Nixon.[4]
Newman was indicted by a federal grand jury in July 1975 on charges of preparing a false affidavit that helped Richard Nixon obtain an illegal tax break on papers he donated[5] and subsequently convicted in November 1975.[4][6]
Ralph Newman married actress Patricia Lyons. His stepson is NPR host Scott Simon.