John L. (John Lewis) Ferguson

Born on March 1, 1926, near Nashville, Arkansas, John Lewis Ferguson built a career around preserving his state's story. He studied at Henderson State Teachers College and the University of Arkansas, later earning a PhD from Tulane University, and he was also ordained as a Missionary Baptist minister.

Ferguson is best known for his long service as Arkansas state historian and director of the Arkansas History Commission, later the Arkansas State Archives, a role he held from 1960 to 2005. Over those decades, he became an important figure in Arkansas historical research, archives, and historic preservation.

As an author, he wrote clear, accessible works on Arkansas history and public life, including books on the Civil War in Arkansas and on the state's governors and U.S. senators. He died on March 25, 2006, leaving behind a body of work shaped by careful research and a strong commitment to keeping Arkansas history available to general readers.