Edgar Crow Baker (September 16, 1845 – November 3, 1920) was a Canadian politician from

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

. Baker was born in

Lambeth Lambeth () is a district in South London, England, in the London Borough of Lambeth, historically in the County of Surrey. It is situated south of Charing Cross. The population of the London Borough of Lambeth was 303,086 in 2011. The area expe ...

, then part of

Surrey, England Surrey () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South East England, bordering Greater London to the south west. Surrey has a large rural area, and several significant urban areas which form part of the Greater London Built-up Area ...

, the son of Edward William Whitley Baker, and was educated at the

Royal Hospital School ) , established = 1694 Royal Charter1712 Greenwich1933 Holbrook, Suffolk, Holbrook , type = Public school (UK), Public School Independent school (UK), Independent day and boarding School Royal Foundation , founders = William ...

Greenwich Greenwich ( , ,) is a town in south-east London, England, within the ceremonial county of Greater London. It is situated east-southeast of Charing Cross. Greenwich is notable for its maritime history and for giving its name to the Greenwich ...

. In 1860, he entered the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...

, serving as a navigating lieutenant and retiring at the rank of major in 1878. In 1869, he married Frances Mary Jones. He settled in

Victoria, British Columbia Victoria is the capital city of the Canadian province of British Columbia, on the southern tip of Vancouver Island off Canada's Pacific coast. The city has a population of 91,867, and the Greater Victoria area has a population of 397,237. Th ...

and became a prominent accountant, real estate conveyancer and notary. Baker, often known as Crow Baker professionally, prospered and became one of the wealthiest men in the city. Baker served as the Grandmaster of the Masonic Grand Lodge of British Columbia. He entered civic politics as an alderman in Victoria. Baker switched to federal politics when Prime Minister

John A. Macdonald Sir John Alexander Macdonald (January 10 or 11, 1815 – June 6, 1891) was the first prime minister of Canada, serving from 1867 to 1873 and from 1878 to 1891. The dominant figure of Canadian Confederation, he had a political career that sp ...

vacated his seat in the

Victoria district Victoria District was a federal electoral district in British Columbia, Canada, that was represented in the House of Commons of Canada from 1871 to 1872. History It was created at the time of that province's entry into Confederation in 1871. ...

to return to an Ontario seat. He was elected to

parliament In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...

as a

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization i ...

, along with colleague

Noah Shakespeare Noah Shakespeare (January 26, 1839 – May 13, 1921) was a Canadians, Canadian politician from British Columbia noted for his involvement in the anti-Chinese movement. Shakespeare was born in Staffordshire, Staffordshire, England, arriving ...

in the 1882 federal election. Baker was re-elected in

1887 Events January–March * January 11 – Louis Pasteur's anti-rabies treatment is defended in the Académie Nationale de Médecine, by Dr. Joseph Grancher. * January 20 ** The United States Senate allows the Navy to lease Pearl Har ...

but would later resign his seat, in 1889. He died at his home in Victoria on November 3, 1920.

References

* 1845 births 1920 deaths Conservative Party of Canada (1867–1942) MPs Members of the House of Commons of Canada from British Columbia {{BritishColumbia-politician-stub, Baker, Edgar