Jane Elaine Baker (June 2, 1923 – July 1, 2011) was an American

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, a ...

community organizer Community organizing is a process where people who live in proximity to each other or share some common problem come together into an organization that acts in their shared self-interest. Unlike those who promote more-consensual community bui ...

and former

cooking show A cooking show, cookery show, or cooking program (also spelled cooking programme in British English) is a television genre that presents food preparation, often in a restaurant kitchen or on a studio set, or at the host's personal home. Ty ...

host. Baker served on the

city council A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, rural counc ...

San Mateo, California San Mateo ( ; ) is a city in San Mateo County, California, on the San Francisco Peninsula. About 20 miles (32 km) south of San Francisco, the city borders Burlingame to the north, Hillsborough to the west, San Francisco Bay and Foster C ...

for twenty years. She was appointed the

Mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well a ...

of San Mateo on six occasions, becoming San Mateo's first female mayor.

Biography

Early life

Baker was born in

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 ...

. She received her

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ...

nutrition Nutrition is the biochemical and physiological process by which an organism uses food to support its life. It provides organisms with nutrients, which can be metabolized to create energy and chemical structures. Failure to obtain sufficient n ...

and

home economics Home economics, also called domestic science or family and consumer sciences, is a subject concerning human development, personal and family finances, consumer issues, housing and interior design, nutrition and food preparation, as well as texti ...

from

Purdue University Purdue University is a public land-grant research university in West Lafayette, Indiana, and the flagship campus of the Purdue University system. The university was founded in 1869 after Lafayette businessman John Purdue donated land and money ...

. She met her future husband, Bill Baker, in 1941 while both were participating in a Purdue University student debate called "''Are Men Good Or Bad?''" Bill, who had attended the debate for a speech class, asked her out on a date the next day. The couple married on the same day that Jane graduated from Purdue in 1946 and had two children. Baker moved with her husband to the

San Francisco Bay area The San Francisco Bay Area, often referred to as simply the Bay Area, is a populous region surrounding the San Francisco, San Pablo, and Suisun Bay estuaries in Northern California. The Bay Area is defined by the Association of Bay Area Go ...

due to Bill Baker's governmental job transfer, where he worked as an

FBI The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic Intelligence agency, intelligence and Security agency, security service of the United States and its principal Federal law enforcement in the United States, federal law enforcement age ...

agent. She worked as the

host A host is a person responsible for guests at an event or for providing hospitality during it. Host may also refer to: Places * Host, Pennsylvania, a village in Berks County People *Jim Host (born 1937), American businessman * Michel Host ...

and

television producer A television producer is a person who oversees one or more aspects of video production on a television show, television program. Some producers take more of an executive role, in that they conceive new programs and pitch them to the television net ...

of a home

, which was filmed in

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...

, before relocating to the nearby city of San Mateo. In the late 1950s, Baker and her family lived on Sunset Terrace in the western hills of San Mateo before relocating to the nearby Laurelwood neighborhood. Baker was credited as one of the bakers of cookies sent to a company of the

101st Airborne Division The 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) ("Screaming Eagles") is a light infantry division of the United States Army that specializes in air assault operations. It can plan, coordinate, and execute multiple battalion-size air assault operati ...

"Screaming Eagles." San Mateo adopted Alpha Company, 1st Battalion, 327 Infantry Regiment on March 4, 1968.

Political career

Baker first became involved in politics and community activism during the early 1970s. Developers had proposed development of open land on the city's Sugarloaf Mountain. Baker organized a group made up of predominantly women activists into the Save Sugarloaf Committee, which successfully fought off the developer and preserved Sugarloaf as one of the city's permanent open spaces. Her experience as an activist and organizer led her to seek elected office to the

. She was elected to the San Mateo city council in 1973 on an environmental platform, defeating two incumbent members and seven other candidates for her seat. In doing so, she became the second woman ever elected to San Mateo's city council. She remained on the city council for twenty years, until her retirement from office in 1993. Baker campaigned to be called "councilwoman" while in office, noting that her male colleagues used the term "councilman". The ''San Mateo County Times'' called her a "bridge-builder and peacemaker" during her tenure. Baker was appointed and reappointed Mayor of San Mateo on six occasions, becoming the first woman to hold the mayoral office in San Mateo. A three-term limit for future mayors was instituted by city council while she was still in office after having served five of her terms. Baker retired from the city council and the mayor's office in 1993 after twenty years in office. Baker served on the board of the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) for sixteen years, including two years as the board's chairwoman from 1993–95. While at MTC, Baker championed efforts to preserve and access open space, including the

San Francisco Bay Trail The San Francisco Bay Trail is a bicycle and pedestrian trail that when finished will allow continuous travel around the shoreline of San Francisco Bay. As of 2020, of the trail have been completed. When finished, the trail will be over of p ...

. Baker also served as the president of the

American Association of University Women The American Association of University Women (AAUW), officially founded in 1881, is a non-profit organization that advances equity for women and girls through advocacy, education, and research. The organization has a nationwide network of 170,000 ...

(AAUW) and the president of the

League of California Cities The League of California Cities is an association of cities within the state of California, founded in 1898. Most of the state's 482 cities are represented in the league. The League publishes ''Western City'', a monthly magazine, and holds an annu ...

San Mateo County San Mateo County ( ), officially the County of San Mateo, is a county located in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 764,442. Redwood City is the county seat, and the third most populated city following Daly ...

honored her work in 1999 by naming her to the San Mateo County Women's Hall of Fame. In 2004, Rep.

Tom Lantos Thomas Peter Lantos (born Tamás Péter Lantos; February 1, 1928 – February 11, 2008) was a Holocaust survivor and American politician who served as a U.S. representative from California from 1981 until his death in 2008. A member of the Democr ...

read a tribute to her into the record of the 108th Congress. She and her husband also became licensed

pilot An aircraft pilot or aviator is a person who controls the flight of an aircraft by operating its directional flight controls. Some other aircrew members, such as navigators or flight engineers, are also considered aviators, because they a ...

s. Jane Baker died on July 1, 2011, at the age of 88. Her health had been in decline during her later years.

Family

She was survived by her husband of 66 years, Bill Baker; two children, Cindy Kuiper and Bruce Baker; four grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.

Legacy

In May 2013, her trust donated US$50,000 to preserve and maintain Sugarloaf Mountain, prompting the city council of San Mateo to consider renaming the adjacent Laurelwood Park in her honor. The city's Parks and Recreation Director told the city council there was a policy prohibiting parks from being named after people, but would consider adding an interpretive center to the base of the trail at Sugarloaf and naming it after Baker. Other proposed uses included land restoration or interpretive panels at the summit, but the bequest was eventually earmarked towards the creation of additional hiking trails, removing fire breaks and restoring the land.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Baker, Jane 1923 births 2011 deaths Mayors of places in California California city council members American community activists Women mayors of places in California American television hosts American women television presenters Purdue University College of Health and Human Sciences alumni People from San Mateo, California Politicians from San Francisco Food and drink in the San Francisco Bay Area Activists from California Women city councillors in California 21st-century American women