Morris L. Radoff

{{short description|American archivist}}

{{Infobox person

| name = Morris L. Radoff

| image = Photograph of Morris Radoff.png

| alt =

| caption = Close-up from photograph of Morris Radoff viewing the Treaty of Paris, 1970.

| birth_name = Morris Leon Radoff

| birth_date = {{Birth date|1905|01|10}}

| birth_place = Houston, Texas

| death_date = {{Death date and age|1978|12|02|1905|01|10}}

| death_place = Annapolis, Maryland

| nationality =

| other_names =

| occupation = Maryland State Archivist

| years_active =

| known_for =

| notable_works =

}}

Morris Leon Radoff (January 10, 1905 – December 2, 1978) was the second state archivist of Maryland, serving from 1939 to 1975.

Radoff was born and raised in a Jewish home in Houston, Texas, and completed his undergraduate studies at the University of Houston. He earned a master's degree at North Carolina University and a Ph.D. in Romance languages and literature at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland.{{cite journal|last1=Talley|first1=Marcia D.|title=Morris Leon Radoff: The Man and the Monument|journal=American Archivist|date=Fall 1981|volume=44|issue=4|pages=327–328|doi=10.17723/aarc.44.4.t77646t842knt831|doi-access=free}}

After receiving his doctorate, Radoff worked as a university lecturer and historical editor in Maryland before being appointed state archivist in 1939.{{cite news|title=Morris Radoff, 73, Md. Archivist, Records Chief|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/1978/12/03/morris-radoff-73-md-archivist-records-chief/c46891c9-257e-466f-b737-7c7e75c365b4/|accessdate=6 May 2016|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=December 3, 1978}} In 1953, Radoff was also appointed the state records administrator, an office he held until his retirement from the Archives in 1975.{{cite news|last1=Coakley|first1=Tom|title=A New, Young Face Among the Old Papers|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/43267056|accessdate=6 May 2016|work=The Capital|date=April 4, 1975}}

Radoff's contributions to the archives profession also included service as president of the Society of American Archivists (SAA), serving from 1954 to 1955.{{cite web|title=Presidents|url=http://www2.archivists.org/history/leaders/presidents|publisher=Society of American Archivists|accessdate=6 May 2016}}