Jesse Matlack Baker (March 1, 1854 - July 30, 1913) was an American politician from

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

who served as a Republican member of the

Pennsylvania House of Representatives The Pennsylvania House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameral Pennsylvania General Assembly, the legislature of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. There are 203 members, elected for two-year terms from single member districts. It ...

for Delaware County from 1889 to 1892 and the

Pennsylvania State Senate The Pennsylvania State Senate is the upper house of the Pennsylvania General Assembly, the Pennsylvania state legislature. The State Senate meets in the State Capitol building in Harrisburg. Senators are elected for four-year terms, stagger ...

for the 9th district from 1893 to 1897.

Early life and education

Jesse Matlack Baker was born on March 1, 1854, in

Parkesburg, Pennsylvania Parkesburg is a Borough (Pennsylvania), borough in Chester County, Pennsylvania, Chester County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was counted as 3,866 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The ZIP code is 19365. History Park ...

, to Phebe Ann (née Matlack) and John Mitchell Baker. He attended public schools and entered the Pennsylvania Military Academy in

Chester, Pennsylvania Chester is a city in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is located in the Philadelphia metropolitan area (also known as the Delaware Valley) on the western bank of the Delaware River between Philadelphia and Wilmington, Delaware. ...

. In 1871, he became a cadet at

West Point Military Academy The United States Military Academy (USMA), commonly known as West Point, is a United States service academies, United States service academy in West Point, New York that educates cadets for service as Officer_(armed_forces)#United_States, comm ...

and was honorably discharged in 1873. He studied law under

V. Gilpin Robinson V. Gilpin Robinson (August 21, 1851 - March 27, 1942) was an American lawyer and politician from Pennsylvania who served as a Republican member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives for Delaware County from 1911 to 1913. Early life and ...

and was accepted to the Delaware County bar in 1881.

Military career

Baker served as Captain of Company H, 6th regiment,

Pennsylvania National Guard The Pennsylvania National Guard is one of the oldest and largest National Guards in the United States Department of Defense. It traces its roots to 1747 when Benjamin Franklin established the Associators in Philadelphia. With more than 18,000 per ...

from 1877 to 1898. He was a Major in the U.S. Army and served in the

Spanish American War Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

in 1898.

Political career

Baker served as district attorney for Delaware County from 1882 to 1888. He was elected to the

for Delaware County and served from 1888 to 1892. Baker was elected to the

for the 9th district in 1892. He served as chairman of the Military Committee and as a member of Elections, Corporations, Judiciary General and Special, Insurance, Mines and Mining and Legislative Apportionment.

Personal life

His sister Sallie M. Baker married Pennsylvania lawyer and politician

. Baker died at his home in

Media, Pennsylvania Media is a borough (Pennsylvania), borough in and the county seat of Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is located about west of Philadelphia. It is part of the Delaware Valley, also known as the Philadelphia metropolitan area. ...

, on July 30, 1913, after a bout of

Bright's disease Bright's disease is a historical classification of kidney diseases that are described in modern medicine as acute or chronic nephritis. It was characterized by swelling and the presence of albumin in the urine. It was frequently accompanied ...

. He was interred at the Media Cemetery in Upper Providence Township, Pennsylvania.

References

External links

* , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Baker, Jesse Matlack 1854 births 1913 deaths 19th-century American lawyers 19th-century members of the Pennsylvania General Assembly American lawyers admitted to the practice of law by reading law American military personnel of the Spanish–American War Burials at Media Cemetery District attorneys in Delaware County, Pennsylvania Republican Party members of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives Pennsylvania lawyers Pennsylvania National Guard personnel Republican Party Pennsylvania state senators Politicians from Chester County, Pennsylvania United States Army officers United States Military Academy alumni Widener University alumni