Caleb Baker (1762 – June 26, 1849) was an American politician and a

U.S. 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 c ...

from

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

Biography

Born in

Providence Providence often refers to: * Providentia, the divine personification of foresight in ancient Roman religion * Divine providence, divinely ordained events and outcomes in Christianity * Providence, Rhode Island, the capital of Rhode Island in the ...

in the Rhode Island Colony, Baker moved to New York in 1790; studied law, was admitted to the bar and began practicing. He married Sarah Stull and they had two children, Brockholst L Baker and Ruth M Baker Hamilton. He resided in the towns of Chemung, Ashland, and Newtown (now Elmira), Tioga County from 1790 to 1836. These towns are now in Chemung County, due to the partitioning of Tioga County. He moved to and lived in Southport,

Chemung County Chemung County is a county in the southern tier of the U.S. state of New York. The population was 84,148 as of the 2020 census. Its county seat is Elmira. Its name is derived from a Delaware Indian village whose name meant "big horn". Chemung ...

, from 1836 until his death.

Career

Baker served as

assessor An assessor may be: * ''Assessor'' (fish), a genus of fishes * Assessor (law), the assistant to a judge or magistrate * Assessor (Oxford), a senior officer of the University of Oxford * Assessor (property), an expert who calculates the value of pr ...

of the town of Chemung in 1791. He taught school in Wellsburg, Chemung County, in 1803 and 1804. He was appointed

surrogate A surrogate is a substitute or deputy for another person in a specific role and may refer to: Relationships * Surrogacy, an arrangement where a woman agrees to carry and give birth to a child for another person who will become its parent at bi ...

of Tioga County on April 7, 1806, April 13, 1825, and again in 1829. He was appointed judge of the Court of Common Pleas in 1810, and served as member of the

New York State Assembly The New York State Assembly is the lower house of the New York State Legislature, with the New York State Senate being the upper house. There are 150 seats in the Assembly. Assembly members serve two-year terms without term limits. The Assem ...

in 1814, 1815, and again in 1829. He was a

Justice of the Peace A justice of the peace (JP) is a judicial officer of a lower or ''puisne'' court, elected or appointed by means of a commission ( letters patent) to keep the peace. In past centuries the term commissioner of the peace was often used with the sa ...

of the town of Chemung in 1816. Elected as a

Democratic-Republican The Democratic-Republican Party, known at the time as the Republican Party and also referred to as the Jeffersonian Republican Party among other names, was an American political party founded by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison in the early ...

to the

Sixteenth Congress The 16th 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, 1819, ...

, Baker served as the U. S. representative for the twentieth district of New York from March 4, 1819 to March 3, 1821.

Death

Baker died in Southport, New York (now a part of Elmira) on June 26, 1849 (age about 86 years). He is

interred Burial, also known as interment or inhumation, is a method of final disposition whereby a dead body is placed into the ground, sometimes with objects. This is usually accomplished by excavating a pit or trench, placing the deceased and objec ...

at Fitzsimmons Cemetery, Elmira, New York.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Baker, Caleb 1762 births 1849 deaths Politicians from Providence, Rhode Island New York (state) state court judges Members of the New York State Assembly Democratic-Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from New York (state)