John Miller Baer (March 29, 1886 – February 18, 1970) was 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

North Dakota North Dakota () is a U.S. state in the Upper Midwest, named after the Native Americans in the United States, indigenous Dakota people, Dakota Sioux. North Dakota is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba to the north a ...

Early years and education

Born at

Black Creek, Wisconsin Black Creek is a village in north-central Outagamie County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 1,357 at the 2020 census. The village is located within the Town of Black Creek, but is governed independently. Origins of the community tr ...

, Baer was the son of Capt. John M. Baer and Libbie Riley Baer. His ancestors on the maternal side were the two families Riley and Swing. From the original family of the former descended the poet and humorist,

James Whitcomb Riley James Whitcomb Riley (October 7, 1849 – July 22, 1916) was an American writer, poet, and best-selling author. During his lifetime he was known as the "Hoosier Poet" and "Children's Poet" for his dialect works and his children's poetry. His ...

, and from the latter, the philosopher and preacher. Prof.

David Swing David Swing (August 23, 1830October 3, 1894) was a United States teacher and clergyman who was the most popular Chicago preacher of his time. Early life Swing was born to Alsatian immigrant parents in Cincinnati, Ohio. Citation: Joseph Fort ...

, of

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

. Baer was also a descendant of the Blairs, an old and favorably known family of

Southern Ohio Appalachian Ohio is a bioregion and political unit in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Ohio, characterized by the western foothills of the Appalachian Mountains and the Appalachian Plateau. The Appalachian Regional Commission defines th ...

. Baer attended the public schools of his town. He was graduated from

Lawrence University Lawrence University is a private liberal arts college and conservatory of music in Appleton, Wisconsin. Founded in 1847, its first classes were held on November 12, 1849. Lawrence was the second college in the U.S. to be founded as a coeducation ...

Appleton, Wisconsin Appleton ( mez, Ahkōnemeh) is a city in Outagamie, Calumet, and Winnebago counties in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. One of the Fox Cities, it is situated on the Fox River, southwest of Green Bay and north of Milwaukee. Appleton is the c ...

, in 1909.

Career

He moved to

Golden Valley County, North Dakota Golden Valley County is a county in the U.S. state of North Dakota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 1,736,} making it the fourth-least populous county in North Dakota. The county seat is Beach. The county should not be confused with ...

, in 1909 and engaged as a civil engineer and in agricultural pursuits from 1909–1915 and served as Postmaster of

Beach, North Dakota Beach is a city in and the county seat of Golden Valley County in the State of North Dakota. The population was 981 at the 2020 census. Beach was incorporated in 1909. The mayor of Beach has been Henry Gerving since 2018. History Beach was first ...

. Baer also worked as a cartoonist and furnished cartoons and articles to newspapers. Baer worked for the ''Non-Partisan Leader'' from 1909 to 1917. After resigning as postmaster, Baer relocated to Fargo and cartooned for the ''Fargo Courier-News''.John Miller Baer Cartoons
library.syr.edu. Accessed November 2, 2022. Baer was elected as a member of the

Nonpartisan League The Nonpartisan League (NPL) was a left-wing political party founded in 1915 in North Dakota by Arthur C. Townley, a former organizer for the Socialist Party of America. On behalf of small farmers and merchants, the Nonpartisan League advocat ...

to the Sixty-fifth Congress by special election, to fill the vacancy caused by the death of

United States 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 ...

Henry T. Helgesen Henry Thomas Helgesen (June 26, 1857 – April 10, 1917) was a United States House of Representatives, U.S. Representative from North Dakota. Born near Decorah, Iowa, Helgesen attended the public schools, the John Breckenridge Normal Institute, ...

, and reelected to the succeeding Congress (August 10, 1917 – March 3, 1921). He served as chairman of the Committee on Expenditures in the Department of Agriculture ( Sixty-sixth Congress). He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection to the Sixty-seventh Congress in 1920. He resumed activities as a cartoonist and journalist for ''Labor'', the newspaper of the National Railroad Union. He died in

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

, on February 18, 1970. He was interred in Gate of Heaven Cemetery, Silver Spring, Maryland.

Sources

References

Attribution

External links

*
Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum Art Database
{{DEFAULTSORT:Baer, John Miller 1886 births 1970 deaths People from Black Creek, Wisconsin Nonpartisan League members of the United States House of Representatives People from Golden Valley County, North Dakota Lawrence University alumni North Dakota postmasters American cartoonists Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from North Dakota Burials at Gate of Heaven Cemetery (Silver Spring, Maryland) 20th-century American politicians