Milton Vaughn Backman Jr. (June 11, 1927 – February 6, 2016) was a historian of American religions with particular emphasis on the early history of the Latter Day Saint movement.
He was a professor of church history at Brigham Young University.
Following his retirement, he briefly taught at the BYU-affiliated Joseph Smith Academy.
As a young man, Backman served as a missionary for the LDS Church in South Africa.
[1] Backman also compiled a collection of diaries and biographies of people who knew Joseph Smith with the assistance of Keith W.