Lawrence James Baker (4 January 1827 – 10 June 1921) was an English stockbroker and a

Liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * a supporter of liberalism ** Liberalism by country * an adherent of a Liberal Party * Liberalism (international relations) * Sexually liberal feminism * Social liberalism Arts, entertainment and m ...

politician who sat in the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of parliament. ...

from 1885 to 1886.

Early life

Baker was born in London, a son of Capt John Law Baker of the

Madras Army The Madras Army was the army of the Presidency of Madras, one of the three presidencies of British India within the British Empire. The presidency armies, like the presidencies themselves, belonged to the East India Company until the Government ...

, and his wife Caroline Elizabeth Browne. Privately educated he became a

stockjobber Stockjobbers were institutions that acted as market makers in the London Stock Exchange. The business of stockjobbing emerged in the 1690s during England's Financial Revolution. During the 18th century the jobbers attracted numerous critiques from ...

. By 1855 he was senior partner of Baker & Sturdy of Copthall House, EC., and by appointment to

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 21 ...

. He was made a trustee of the

London Stock Exchange London Stock Exchange (LSE) is a stock exchange in the City of London, England, United Kingdom. , the total market value of all companies trading on LSE was £3.9 trillion. Its current premises are situated in Paternoster Square close to St Pau ...

. Expert in foreign bond dealings, he sat on the Peruvian Bondholder's Committee with Liberal colleague, and former cabinet minister,

George Shaw-Lefevre George John Shaw Lefevre, 1st Baron Eversley (12 June 1831 – 19 April 1928) was a British Liberal Party politician. In a ministerial career that spanned thirty years, he was twice First Commissioner of Works and also served as Postmaster Gene ...

. The City of London was responsible for the funds of several Latin American emerging economies; their decisions saved several governments from anarchy and bankruptcy. Baker was a generous benefactor: a donor to charity, a supporter of early free Council houses, and a free trade national liberal, cutting taxes for the poor, free education, disestablishment of the

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britain ...

, and reform of the

House of Lords The House of Lords, also known as the House of Peers, is the Bicameralism, upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Membership is by Life peer, appointment, Hereditary peer, heredity or Lords Spiritual, official function. Like the ...

. Baker was living at

Haydon Hall Haydon Hall was one of the three main houses of Eastcote, within what is now the London Borough of Hillingdon. The house was built in 1630 as a home for Lady Alice, Dowager Countess of Derby who had been living in Harefield. The house remained in ...

Eastcote Eastcote is a suburban area in the London Borough of Hillingdon, in northwest London. In the Middle Ages, Eastcote was one of the three areas that made up the parish of Ruislip, under the name of Ascot. The name came from its position to the e ...

but bought Ottershaw Park in 1885.Owners and Occupiers of Ottershaw Park
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Political career

Baker was a candidate at least twice at Guildford and Worcester, before being chosen for Frome at short notice in September 1885, on the retirement through illness of Sir

Henry Samuelson Sir Henry Bernhard Samuelson, 2nd Baronet JP KGStJ (30 September 1845 – 14 March 1937) was an English Liberal Party politician who sat in the House of Commons in two periods between 1868 and 1885. Early life Samuelson was the son of Sir Ber ...

. In the 1885 general election, Baker was elected

Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members of ...

for

Frome Frome ( ) is a town and civil parish in eastern Somerset, England. The town is built on uneven high ground at the eastern end of the Mendip Hills, and centres on the River Frome. The town, about south of Bath, is the largest in the Mendip d ...

. In the Liberal Unionist furore with

Joseph Chamberlain Joseph Chamberlain (8 July 1836 – 2 July 1914) was a British statesman who was first a radical Liberal, then a Liberal Unionist after opposing home rule for Ireland, and eventually served as a leading imperialist in coalition with the Cons ...

's group, he lost his selection for Frome, replaced by G B Samuelson, a local candidate. But the son, G B Samuelson lost the seat in the 1886 general election to the

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candidate Lord Weymouth. He later stood for parliament unsuccessfully in

Chertsey Chertsey is a town in the Borough of Runnymede, Surrey, England, south-west of central London. It grew up round Chertsey Abbey, founded in 666 CE, and gained a market charter from Henry I. A bridge across the River Thames first appeared in the ...

. At by-elections in

1892 Events January–March * January 1 – Ellis Island begins accommodating immigrants to the United States. * February 1 - The historic Enterprise Bar and Grill was established in Rico, Colorado. * February 27 – Rudolf Diesel applies for ...

he lost to

Charles Harvey Combe Charles Harvey Combe (18 February 1863 – 14 August 1935) was a Conservative Party (UK), Conservative Member of Parliament from 1892 and 1897 for the English constituency of Chertsey (UK Parliament constituency), Chertsey. Combe was raised a ...

. When Combe resigned, Baker stood again in

1897 Events January–March * January 2 – The International Alpha Omicron Pi sorority is founded, in New York City. * January 4 – A British force is ambushed by Chief Ologbosere, son-in-law of the ruler. This leads to a puniti ...

. This time Henry Currie Leigh-Bennett was victorious.Craig, op. cit., page 396 In 1898 he became

High Sheriff of Surrey The list of known High Sheriffs of Surrey extends back to 1066. At various times the High Sheriff of Surrey was also High Sheriff of Sussex (1229–1231, 1232–1240, 1242–1567, 1571–1635). 1066–1228 (High Sheriffs of Surrey only) 1229– ...

. He built cottages in Bonsey's Lane at Ottershaw but sold the estate in 1910, after he had put it up for auction unsuccessfully in 1907. He moved for three years to

Brantridge Park Brantridge Park, Balcombe, West Sussex, England is a 19th-century country house, formerly one of the lesser royal residences. It is a Grade II listed building. History The house and grounds replaced Brantridge farmhouse and farm. Sir Robert Lo ...

, Balcome, West Sussex. In 1910 he settled at Brambridge Park, Twyford, Hampshire where he died at the age of ninety-four.

Personal life

Baker married firstly Ellen Catherine Thompson in 1857. His second wife Susan Taylor he married in 1871 at

All Saints Church All Saints Church, or All Saints' Church or variations on the name may refer to: Albania *All Saints' Church, Himarë Australia * All Saints Church, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory * All Saints Anglican Church, Henley Brook, Western Aust ...

Kensington Kensington is a district in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in the West End of London, West of Central London. The district's commercial heart is Kensington High Street, running on an east–west axis. The north-east is taken up b ...

, SW. Lawrence had fourteen children, seven by each marriage.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Baker, Lawrence James 1828 births 1921 deaths Liberal Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies UK MPs 1885–1886 English stockbrokers High Sheriffs of Surrey People from Ottershaw People from the London Borough of Hillingdon