John Harris Baker (February 28, 1832 – October 21, 1915) was a

United States representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

from

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...

and a

United States district judge The United States district courts are the trial courts of the U.S. federal judiciary. There is one district court for each federal judicial district, which each cover one U.S. state or, in some cases, a portion of a state. Each district cou ...

of the

United States District Court for the District of Indiana The following are former United States district courts, which ceased to exist because they were subdivided into smaller units. With the exception of California, each of these courts initially covered an entire U.S. state, and was subdivided as the ...

Education and career

Born on February 28, 1832, in

Parma Parma (; egl, Pärma, ) is a city in the northern Italian region of Emilia-Romagna known for its architecture, music, art, prosciutto (ham), cheese and surrounding countryside. With a population of 198,292 inhabitants, Parma is the second mos ...

Monroe County, New York Monroe County is a county in the Finger Lakes region of the State of New York. The county is along Lake Ontario's southern shore. At the 2020 census, Monroe County's population was 759,443, an increase since the 2010 census. Its county seat a ...

, Baker moved with his parents to what is now

Fulton County Fulton County is the name of eight counties in the United States of America. Most are named for Robert Fulton, inventor of the first practical steamboat: *Fulton County, Arkansas, named after Governor William Savin Fulton *Fulton County, Georgia *F ...

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

, where he attended and later taught in the common schools. He received an Artium Magister degree in 1879 from

Wesleyan University Wesleyan University ( ) is a private liberal arts university in Middletown, Connecticut. Founded in 1831 as a men's college under the auspices of the Methodist Episcopal Church and with the support of prominent residents of Middletown, the col ...

Delaware Delaware ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Maryland to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and New Jersey and the Atlantic Ocean to its east. The state takes its name from the adjacent Del ...

, Ohio. He read law in

Adrian Adrian is a form of the Latin given name Adrianus or Hadrianus. Its ultimate origin is most likely via the former river Adria from the Venetic and Illyrian word ''adur'', meaning "sea" or "water". The Adria was until the 8th century BC the mai ...

Michigan Michigan () is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the List of U.S. states and ...

and was admitted to the bar in 1857. He entered private practice in Goshen,

from 1857 to 1875. He unsuccessfully challenged the election of Charles Lefferts Murray to the

Indiana Senate The Indiana Senate is the upper house of the Indiana General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Indiana. The Senate is composed of 50 members representing an equal number of constituent districts. Senators serve four-year term ...

in 1863, but his challenge failed and he was never seated, although he was paid as if he had been a state senator.

Congressional service

Baker was elected as a

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

from

Indiana's 13th congressional district Indiana's 13th congressional district was a congressional district for the United States House of Representatives in Indiana. It was eliminated as a result of the United States Census, 1930, 1930 Census. It was last represented by Samuel B. Pette ...

to the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

of the 44th, 45th and

46th United States Congress The 46th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1879 ...

es, serving from March 4, 1875, to March 3, 1881. He declined to be a candidate for renomination in 1880. Baker resumed private practice in Goshen from 1881 to 1892. He was a delegate to the

1888 Republican National Convention The 1888 Republican National Convention was a presidential nominating convention held at the Auditorium Building in Chicago, Illinois, on June 19–25, 1888. It resulted in the nomination of former Senator Benjamin Harrison of Indiana for presid ...

Federal judicial service

Baker was nominated by President

Benjamin Harrison Benjamin Harrison (August 20, 1833March 13, 1901) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 23rd president of the United States from 1889 to 1893. He was a member of the Harrison family of Virginia–a grandson of the ninth pr ...

on March 24, 1892, to a seat on the

vacated by Judge William Allen Woods. He was confirmed by the

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

on March 29, 1892, and received his commission the same day. His service terminated on December 8, 1902, due to his retirement.

Retirement and death

Following his retirement, Baker resided in Goshen. He died on October 21, 1915, in Goshen. He is interred in Oakridge Cemetery in Goshen.

Family

Baker was the brother of

Lucien Baker Lucien Baker (June 8, 1846June 21, 1907) was a United States senator from Kansas. Baker was born near Cleveland, Ohio and moved with his parents to Morenci, Michigan. There he attended the public schools and graduated from Adrian College A ...

, a

United States senator The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and powe ...

from

Kansas Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to th ...

References

Sources

"Memorial Meeting of the State Bar Association of Indiana in Memory of Hon. John H. Baker,"
in ''Report of the Twentieth Annual Meeting of the State Bar Association of Indiana, Held at Lafayette, Indiana, July 13 and 14, 1916.'' Indianapolis: Harrington and Folger for the Association, n.d.

916 __NOTOC__ Year 916 ( CMXVI) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Europe * Sicilian Berbers in Agrigento revolt and depose the independent Emir Ahmed ibn Kh ...

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Baker, John 1832 births 1915 deaths People from Parma, New York Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Indiana Judges of the United States District Court for the District of Indiana United States federal judges appointed by Benjamin Harrison United States federal judges admitted to the practice of law by reading law 19th-century American judges People from Elkhart County, Indiana People from Fulton County, Ohio 19th-century American politicians Wesleyan University alumni