Robert Hall Baker Sr. (June 27, 1839October 5, 1882) was an American businessman and Republican politician from

Racine, Wisconsin Racine ( ) is a city in Racine County, Wisconsin, United States, and its county seat. It is located on the shore of Lake Michigan at the mouth of the Root River (Wisconsin), Root River, south of Milwaukee and north of Chicago. It is the List ...

. He was the 21st mayor of

, and represented Racine County for three years in the

Wisconsin Senate The Wisconsin Senate is the upper house of the Wisconsin State Legislature. Together with the Wisconsin State Assembly they constitute the legislative branch of the state of Wisconsin. The powers of the Wisconsin Senate are modeled after those ...

(

1873 Events January * January 1 ** Japan adopts the Gregorian calendar. ** The California Penal Code goes into effect. * January 17 – American Indian Wars: Modoc War: First Battle of the Stronghold – Modoc Indians defeat the Unit ...

1875 Events January * January 1 – The Midland Railway of England abolishes the Second Class passenger category, leaving First Class and Third Class. Other British railway companies follow Midland's lead during the rest of the year (Third C ...

1876 Events January * January 1 ** The Reichsbank opens in Berlin. ** The Bass Brewery Red Triangle becomes the world's first registered trademark symbol. *January 27 – The Northampton Bank robbery occurs in Massachusetts. February * Febr ...

). He also served as chairman of the

Republican Party of Wisconsin The Republican Party of Wisconsin is a conservative politics, conservative and Right-wing populism, populist political party in Wisconsin and is the Wisconsin affiliate of the Republican Party (United States), United States Republican Party (GOP) ...

in 1880 and 1881. In business, he was one of the four principal owners of the , an important business in the growth and development of the city of Racine.

Biography

Born in

Geneva Geneva ( , ; ) ; ; . is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland and the most populous in French-speaking Romandy. Situated in the southwest of the country, where the Rhône exits Lake Geneva, it is the ca ...

, Walworth County,

Wisconsin Territory The Territory of Wisconsin was an organized and incorporated territory of the United States that existed from July 3, 1836, until May 29, 1848, when an eastern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Wisconsin. Belm ...

, to Martha Washington Larrabee and Charles Minton Baker. His father was a lawyer, judge, and politician. Baker attended

Beloit College Beloit College is a private liberal arts college in Beloit, Wisconsin, United States. Founded in 1846 when Wisconsin was still a territory, it is the state's oldest continuously operated college. It has an enrollment of roughly 1,000 undergradua ...

and assisted his father's law practice in Lake Geneva before moving to Racine. Robert married Emily M. Carswell in 1859 and they had five children. They resided in Racine at the corner of 6th and Main Street, now the site of the

U.S. Post Office The United States Postal Service (USPS), also known as the Post Office, U.S. Mail, or simply the Postal Service, is an independent agency of the executive branch of the United States federal government responsible for providing postal serv ...

. In 1856, he entered business in Racine hardware supply, then worked for one year with Thomas Falvey, a

reaper A reaper is a farm implement that reaps (cuts and often also gathers) crops at harvest when they are ripe. Usually the crop involved is a cereal grass, especially wheat. The first documented reaping machines were Gallic reapers that were used ...

manufacturer. He then went to work for the in 1860 as a collecting agent. In January 1863, Baker purchased a one quarter stake in the , becoming one of the four major shareholders in the company, the others being , Stephen Bull, and

Jerome Case Jerome Increase Case (December 11, 1819December 22, 1891) was an early American manufacturer of threshing machines. He founded the J. I. Case Company which has gone through many mergers and name changes to today's Case Corporation. He served thre ...

himself. In Racine, Baker was elected to the City Council in 1865, and was elected school commissioner in 1867. He two more terms on the City Council in 1868 and 1871, and was elected mayor in 1874. He won election to the Wisconsin Senate in 1872, defeating Democrat Nicholas D. Fratt. In 1873, he was the Republican candidate for

Lieutenant Governor of Wisconsin The lieutenant governor of Wisconsin is the first person in the Gubernatorial lines of succession in the United States#Wisconsin, line of succession of Wisconsin's executive branch, thus serving as governor in the event of the death, resignation, ...

, losing to Charles D. Parker. In 1874 he was elected to return to the Senate, defeating incumbent Liberal Republican Charles Herrick. Baker was chairman of the Republican Party of Wisconsin during the presidential campaign of

James Garfield James Abram Garfield (November 19, 1831 – September 19, 1881) was the 20th president of the United States, serving from March 1881 until Assassination of James A. Garfield, his death in September that year after being shot two months ea ...

, and was appointed government director of the

Union Pacific Railroad The Union Pacific Railroad is a Railroad classes, Class I freight-hauling railroad that operates 8,300 locomotives over routes in 23 U.S. states west of Chicago and New Orleans. Union Pacific is the second largest railroad in the United Stat ...

by Garfield after he became president. He held this office until his death in 1882. He was a director of the Racine Hardware Manufacturing Company, a director of the Manufacturers National Bank of Racine and the National Iron Company of

De Pere, Wisconsin De Pere ( ) is a city in Brown County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 25,410 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. It is part of the Green Bay metropolitan area. History When the first European, Jean Nicolet, visited the p ...

, and president of the Hampton Coal Mining Company.

Electoral history

Wisconsin Senate (1872)

Wisconsin Lieutenant Governor (1873)

Wisconsin Senate (1874)

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Baker, Robert Hall People from Lake Geneva, Wisconsin Beloit College alumni Businesspeople from Racine, Wisconsin Mayors of Racine, Wisconsin Republican Party of Wisconsin chairs Wisconsin city council members Republican Party Wisconsin state senators 1839 births 1882 deaths 19th-century American businesspeople Burials at Mound Cemetery (Racine, Wisconsin) 19th-century members of the Wisconsin Legislature 19th-century mayors of places in Wisconsin