Robert Hall Baker, Sr., (June 27, 1839 – October 5, 1882) was an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

businessman and politician. He served three years in the Wisconsin State Senate (1873, 1875, 1876), one year as Mayor of

Racine, Wisconsin Racine ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Racine County, Wisconsin, United States. It is located on the shore of Lake Michigan at the mouth of the Root River. Racine is situated 22 miles (35 km) south of Milwaukee and approximately 60 ...

(1874), and was Chairman of the Republican Party of Wisconsin. In business, he was one of the four principal owners of the

J.I. Case Company The Case Corporation was a manufacturer of agricultural machinery and construction equipment. Founded, in 1842, by Jerome Increase Case as the J. I. Case Threshing Machine Company, it operated under that name for most of a century. For ano ...

Biography

Born in

Geneva Geneva ( ; french: Genève ) frp, Genèva ; german: link=no, Genf ; it, Ginevra ; rm, Genevra is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland (after Zürich) and the most populous city of Romandy, the French-speaki ...

, Walworth County, Wisconsin Territory, to Martha Washington Larrabee and Charles Minton Baker. His father was a lawyer, judge, and politician. Baker attended

Beloit College Beloit College is a private liberal arts college in Beloit, Wisconsin. Founded in 1846, when Wisconsin was still a territory, it is the state's oldest continuously operated college. It is a member of the Associated Colleges of the Midwest and has ...

and assisted his father's law practice in Lake Geneva before moving to Racine. Robert married Emily M. Carswell in 1859 and they had five children. They resided in Racine at the corner of 6th and Main Street, now the site of the U.S. Post Office. In 1856, he entered business in Racine hardware supply, then worked for one year with Thomas Falvey, a reaper manufacturer. He then went to work for the J.I. Case Company in 1860 as a collecting agent. In January 1863, Baker purchased a one quarter stake in the J.I. Case Company, becoming one of the four major shareholders in the company, the others being M.B. Erskine, Stephen Bull, and

Jerome Case Jerome Increase Case (December 11, 1819December 22, 1891) was an early American manufacturer of threshing machines. He founded the J. I. Case Company which has gone through many mergers and name changes to today's Case Corporation. He served thre ...

himself. In Racine, Baker was elected as school commissioner in 1867, alderman in 1868 and 1871, and mayor in 1874. He won election to the Wisconsin Senate in 1872, defeating Democrat Nicholas D. Fratt. In 1873, he was the Republican candidate for Lieutenant Governor of Wisconsin, losing to Charles D. Parker. In 1874 he was elected to return to the Senate, defeating incumbent Liberal Republican Charles Herrick. Baker was chairman of the Republican Party of Wisconsin during the presidential campaign of

James Garfield James Abram Garfield (November 19, 1831 – September 19, 1881) was the 20th president of the United States, serving from March 4, 1881 until his death six months latertwo months after he was shot by an assassin. A lawyer and Civil War gene ...

, and was appointed government director of the

Union Pacific Railroad The Union Pacific Railroad , legally Union Pacific Railroad Company and often called simply Union Pacific, is a freight-hauling railroad that operates 8,300 locomotives over routes in 23 U.S. states west of Chicago and New Orleans. Union Paci ...

by Garfield after he became president. He held this office until his death in 1882. He was a director of the Racine Hardware Manufacturing Company, a director of the Manufacturers National Bank of Racine and the National Iron Company of

De Pere, Wisconsin De Pere ( ) is a city located in Brown County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 25,410 according to the 2020 Census. De Pere is part of the Green Bay Metropolitan Statistical Area. History At the arrival of the first European, Je ...

, and president of the Hampton Coal Mining Company.

Electoral history

Wisconsin Senate (1872)

Wisconsin Lieutenant Governor (1873)

Wisconsin Senate (1874)

References

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Baker, Robert Hall People from Lake Geneva, Wisconsin Beloit College alumni Businesspeople from Racine, Wisconsin Mayors of Racine, Wisconsin Republican Party of Wisconsin chairs Wisconsin city council members Republican Party Wisconsin state senators 1839 births 1882 deaths 19th-century American politicians 19th-century American businesspeople