Pinkett, Harold T., 1914-2001

Dr. Harold Pinkett established many firsts for African Americans at both the National Archives and in the field of archival studies. His career was impressive and exceptional, and bridged the archival and historical communities. Harold Pinkett was born on April 7, 1914, in Salisbury, Maryland. He attended Morgan College (now Morgan State University), where he graduated summa cum laude in 1935, and three years later he earned his M.A. in history from the University of Pennsylvania. After one year of teaching Latin in Baltimore, he became a professor of history at Livingstone College in Salisbury, NC. In 1942, Pinkett moved to Washington DC, where he became an archivist at the National Archives. He was the first African American to hold such a position in any American archival institution. His outstanding career at the National Archives included more than 35 years of service specializing in agricultural records. He wrote many of the original inventories of the Department of Agriculture records that were transferred to the National Archives Building in the 1930s. For many years Pinkett was one of only a handful of Black professionals at the National Archives. During his time at the National Archives, Pinkett held many important positions, serving as the Chief of the Agricultural and General Services Branch, Appraisal Specialist in the Senior Records Division, Deputy Director of the Records Appraisal Division, and Chief of the Legislative and Natural Resources Records Branch.

Harold T. Pinkett, born on April 7, 1914 in Salisbury, Maryland was the first African-American Archivist at the National Archives. He graduated summa cum laude from Morgan College (now Morgan State University) in 1935, and received his master’s degree in history from the University of Pennsylvania in 1938. He was appointed to the position of Archivist at the National Archives in 1942, where he served as a specialist on records relating to agriculture. Pinkett continued his education by earning his doctoral degree in history from American University in 1953. His dissertation focused on the work of Gifford Pinchot, Chief of the Forest Service, in which Pinkett used records from RG 95 Records of the Forest Service, located at the National Archives. Dr. Pinkett died on March 31, 2001.

Harold Thomas Pinkett (April 7, 1914 – March 13, 2001)[1] was an African-American archivist and historian. In 1942, he became the first African-American archivist employed at the National Archives of the United States.[2] He was also the first African-American to become a fellow of the Society of American Archivists and to be editor of the journal The American Archivist. He was an expert in agricultural archives, and served as president of the Agricultural History Society.

Dr. Harold T. Pinkett, Archivist and historian and former president of the Agricultural History Society, died on 13 March 2001, and was buried in Rock Creek Cemetery in Washington, DC.