Orin Clarkson Baker (1864,

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 ...

- 1957,

Miami, Florida Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...

) was General Secretary of the

Travelers Aid Society of New York The Travelers Aid Society of New York (TAS-NY) was founded by Grace Hoadley Dodge in New York City in 1907. Thirteen other prominent Christian and Jewish women, including the social worker Belle Moskowitz, made up the Society's first Board of Dir ...

(TAS-NY) from 1911-1917. The TAS-NY was formed by

Grace Hoadley Dodge Grace Hoadley Dodge (May 21, 1856December 27, 1914) was an American philanthropist who was the first woman appointed a member of the New York Board of Education. Early life Grace was born in Manhattan on May 21, 1856. She was the oldest of six ...

in 1907 to protect native-born and immigrant women from the moral dangers, especially "

white slavery White slavery (also white slave trade or white slave trafficking) refers to the slavery of Europeans, whether by non-Europeans (such as West Asians and North Africa, North Africans), or by other Europeans (for example naval galley slaves or th ...

", that were thought to be rampant at urban train stations and piers. Upon Dodge's death in 1914, Orin Baker became the face of the

Travelers Aid The Travelers Aid movement began in St. Louis, Missouri, under the leadership of Mayor Bryan Mullanphy. Its purpose was to provide assistance to American pioneers and new immigrants who became stranded on their journeys. At his death in 1851, Mull ...

movement in New York and the United States. He criss-crossed the country to promote travelers' aid as a legitimate subfield of the emerging

social work Social work is an academic discipline and practice-based profession concerned with meeting the basic needs of individuals, families, groups, communities, and society as a whole to enhance their individual and collective well-being. Social work ...

profession. While in California, he helped establish the Travelers Aid Society of California for the purpose of providing travelers' aid to the female visitors of the 1915

Panama–Pacific International Exposition The Panama–Pacific International Exposition was a world's fair held in San Francisco, California, United States, from February 20 to December 4, 1915. Its stated purpose was to celebrate the completion of the Panama Canal, but it was widely se ...

. Under his leadership, local Travelers Aid Societies and similar organizations were federated to form the National Travelers Aid Society in 1917. That same year he published the first travelers' aid textbook, ''Travelers Aid Society in America''. Baker abruptly resigned from both the Travelers Aid Society of New York and the

National Travelers Aid Association The Travelers Aid movement began in St. Louis, Missouri, under the leadership of Mayor Bryan Mullanphy. Its purpose was to provide assistance to American pioneers and new immigrants who became stranded on their journeys. At his death in 1851, Mull ...

in 1919 when he thought Board members were attempting to undermine his authority within the movement. Baker was from Ohio where he had been the longtime Financial Officer of the

Ohio Soldiers' and Sailors' Orphans' Home The Ohio Soldiers' and Sailors' Orphans' Home (Later known as the Ohio Veterans' Children's Home) and sometimes abbreviated OS&SO/OVCH, was a children's home that was located in Xenia, Ohio. It is now home to Legacy Christian Academy, Athletes i ...

. He came to New York City with his wife Alice sometime after 1903. In New York, before leading the Travelers Aid Society, he was known for delivering a series of lectures on “personal evangelistic work” and for leading a bible class for men at the West End Presbyterian Church. He had also served, since 1905, as the Assistant Superintendent of the Evangelistic Committee, primarily handling its business affairs.

References

External links

Travelers Aid Society in America by Orin Clarkson Baker"> Travelers Aid Society in America by Orin Clarkson Baker
{{DEFAULTSORT:Baker, Orin Clarkson American Presbyterians American social workers 1864 births 1957 deaths