William Baker (Kansas politician)

William Hewitt Baker
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Kansas's 6th district
In office 1891–1897
Preceded by	Erastus J. Turner
Succeeded by	Nelson B. McCormick
Personal details
Born	(1831-04-29)April 29, 1831 Washington County, Pennsylvania
Died	February 11, 1910(1910-02-11) (aged 78) Lincoln Center, Kansas
Resting place	Lincoln Center Cemetery
Political party	Populist

William Hewitt Baker (April 29, 1831 – February 11, 1910) was a U.S. Representative from Kansas.

Personal life

Born near Centerville, Washington County, Pennsylvania, Baker attended public school and graduated from Waynesboro College in 1856. He married Philena Griffith in Washington County, PA. on November 25, 1858. They had 3 sons and 5 daughters. In 1878, he moved to Lincoln County, Kansas, where he engaged in agricultural pursuits and stock raising. He died in Lincoln, Kansas at 4:15 p.m., February 11, 1910 and was interred in Lincoln Center Cemetery. His obituary was published in the Lincoln Sentinel, February 10, 1910.

Career

Baker was a teacher and moved to Iowa in 1859 to become the principal of the public schools in Council Bluffs. Baker studied law, was admitted to the bar in 1860, but never practiced. In 1865, he returned to Beallsville, Pennsylvania. From 1865–1878, he engaged in mercantile pursuits.

A Populist, Baker was elected to the Fifty-second, Fifty-third, and Fifty-fourth Congresses (March 4, 1891 – March 3, 1897). He was not a candidate for re-nomination in 1896, and he resumed agricultural pursuits.

References

• United States Congress. "William Baker (id: B000075)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.

External links

• "Kansapedia: William Baker". Kansas Historical Society. June 2011. Retrieved 10 March 2020.
• William Baker at Find a Grave

 This article incorporates public domain material from the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.

This page was last edited on 22 December 2023, at 03:52