James R. Baggett was a faculty member at Oregon State University from 1956 until his retirement in 1995. Baggett earned his BS in Horticulture from the University of Idaho in 1952 and his Ph.D. in Horticulture from Oregon State College in 1956. As a faculty member, he continued the breeding work on peas, beans, cabbage, and broccoli that he had begun as a graduate student. He became head of the vegetable breeding program in 1973 when his mentor and colleague, William A. ("Tex") Frazier retired. Baggett concentrated on breeding and testing of vegetables for processing, fresh market, and home garden use, primarily in western Oregon. He developed more than 45 vegetable varieties during his career, and is especially well known among home gardeners in Oregon for the tomato and pea varieties he developed.
The James R. Baggett Papers consist of materials generated or assembled by Baggett documenting his research in vegetable breeding and genetics and the development of new vegetable varieties and breeding lines. The Papers include article reprints and publications; progress reports to the Oregon Processed Vegetable Commission; meeting minutes, project proposals, progress reports and correspondence pertaining to several regional and Oregon Agricultural Experiment Station breeding projects; variety release proposals to the Agricultural Experiment Station and release announcements; meeting minutes, project proposals, progress reports, and correspondence of the Northwest Food Processor's Association's Processors Research Committee, which funded much of Baggett's research; and photographs.
Publications in the collection include reprints of journal articles; Extension Service circulars, bulletins and newsletters; and articles published in the Proceedings of the Oregon Horticultural Society, including an historical summary of vegetable breeding at OSU written by Baggett in 1995.
The photographs are color and b/w prints depicting vegetables developed and released by Baggett, including tomatoes, green beans, squash, lettuce, carrots, and corn. The photographs also include images of Baggett's predecessor William "Tex" Frazier examining crops and farm plots with farmers and other researchers.
Collection is open for research.
James R. Baggett Papers, Oregon State University Archives, Corvallis, Oregon.
The OSU Archives collections include the Horticulture Department Records, which include materials pertaining to Baggett's research projects, and the papers of several horticulture faculty including