John Baker (1769August 18, 1823)History of Berkeley County, p. 220
/ref> was an American politician who represented

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

in the

United States House of Representatives 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 ...

from 1811 to 1813.

Biography

Baker was born in 1769 in Frederick County in the Province of Maryland. He attended Washington College (now

Washington and Lee University , mottoeng = "Not Unmindful of the Future" , established = , type = Private liberal arts university , academic_affiliations = , endowment = $2.092 billion (2021) , president = William C. Dudley , provost = Lena Hill , city = Lexington ...

), Lexington, Virginia for three years. Later, he studied

law Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior,Robertson, ''Crimes against humanity'', 90. with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. It has been vario ...

. He was admitted to the bar and began practice in Berkeley County, Virginia (now

Jefferson County, West Virginia Jefferson County is located in the Shenandoah Valley in the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia. It is the easternmost county of the U.S. state of West Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 57,701. Its county seat is Charles Tow ...

). Baker was a member of the

Virginia House of Delegates The Virginia House of Delegates is one of the two parts of the Virginia General Assembly, the other being the Senate of Virginia. It has 100 members elected for terms of two years; unlike most states, these elections take place during odd-number ...

, 1798–1799. He was one of the lawyers who defended Aaron Burr when he was tried for

treason Treason is the crime of attacking a state authority to which one owes allegiance. This typically includes acts such as participating in a war against one's native country, attempting to overthrow its government, spying on its military, its diplo ...

. He was elected as a Federalist to the Twelfth Congress (March 4, 1811 – March 3, 1813) with 56.44% of the vote, defeating Democratic-Republican Daniel Morgan. After leaving Congress, he resumed the practice of law. He was the Commonwealth attorney for Jefferson County. He died in Shepherdstown, Jefferson County, Virginia (now

West Virginia West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian, Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States.The Census Bureau and the Association of American Geographers classify West Virginia as part of the Southern United States while the B ...

) in 1823 and is buried in the Old Episcopal Church Cemetery.

External links

References

1769 births 1823 deaths County and city Commonwealth's Attorneys in Virginia People from Frederick County, Maryland People from Shepherdstown, West Virginia Virginia lawyers Washington and Lee University alumni Federalist Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Virginia People of colonial Maryland Burials in West Virginia {{Virginia-Representative-stub