Roger George Kennedy (August 3, 1926 – September 30, 2011) was an American polymath whose career included banking, television production, historical writing, and museum administration, the last as director of the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of American History, before the Bill Clinton administration selected him to head the National Park Service in 1993.

He was especially concerned about expanding the service's educational role and moved to enlarge its presence beyond the parks via the Internet.

He rose to national notice in 1955 as a news correspondent covering the Supreme Court and the White House for NBC, for which he also wrote and produced television documentaries and hosted a radio program.

During his tenure, the NPS restructured its field operations and sharply reduced its central office staffs as part of a government-wide effort to downsize the federal bureaucracy.

[4][5] He published a favorable study of Aaron Burr--arguing he had a better character than Thomas Jefferson.