James Addison Baker Jr. (November 3, 1892 – May 21, 1973) was an American attorney, banker, real estate developer, and

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land warfare, land military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight Uniformed services of the United States, U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army o ...

officer from Houston, Texas. He was the third in a succession of men named James Addison Baker, all of whom were attorneys for

Baker Botts Baker Botts L.L.P. is an American law firm of around 725 lawyers. Headquartered in One Shell Plaza in Downtown Houston, Texas, the firm has energy and technology related clients. It is referred to as the second-oldest law firm west of the Mi ...

or its antecedents. His son is James Addison Baker III, former

United States Secretary of State The United States secretary of state is a member of the executive branch of the federal government of the United States and the head of the U.S. Department of State. The office holder is one of the highest ranking members of the president's Ca ...

Early life

James A. Baker Jr. was born on 3 November 1892 to Captain James A. Baker and Alice Graham Baker in Houston, Texas. In 1911, Baker graduated from

The Hill School The Hill School (commonly known as The Hill) is a coeducational preparatory boarding school located on a campus in Pottstown, Pennsylvania, about northwest of Philadelphia. The Hill is part of the Ten Schools Admissions Organization (TSAO). ...

, and enrolled at

Princeton University Princeton University is a private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the ...

in the fall.

Career

Baker interrupted his law classes at the

University of Texas The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public research university in Austin, Texas. It was founded in 1883 and is the oldest institution in the University of Texas System. With 40,916 undergraduate students, 11,075 ...

to volunteer for

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. He reported to Quartermaster School in San Antonio commissioned as a lieutenant, and began his tour with the 90th Division's 359th Infantry Regiment on the western front in July 1918. His company fought from the trenches during the

Battle of Saint-Mihiel The Battle of Saint-Mihiel was a major World War I battle fought from 12–15 September 1918, involving the American Expeditionary Forces (AEF) and 110,000 French troops under the command of General John J. Pershing of the United States against ...

in the fall. After a two-week break from the front, his division took over for the 5th Division and endured the trenches for seventy-five days straight. He was the only officer in his unit to survive without being wounded, and he was promoted to Captain while being cited for valor. He joined the occupation forces in Germany after the cessation of hostilities. The Army ordered him discharged and he reached American soil on April 4, 1919. Baker and his father developed Broadacres, an exclusive subdivision sited north of Rice University. At its conception in 19221923, this tract was surrounded by non-commercial uses. In addition to the university,

Hermann Park Hermann Park is a urban park in Houston, Texas, situated at the southern end of the Museum District. The park is located immediately north of the Texas Medical Center and Brays Bayou, east of Rice University, and slightly west of the Th ...

, the land for the future Museum of Fine Arts were in proximity. Two other wealthy subdivisions,

Southampton Southampton () is a port city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire built-up area, which also covers Po ...

and Shadyside, buffered Broadacres from commercial development. The Bakers sold seventeen large lots to investors who also advanced $150,000 to the development for capital improvements. Baker took over the management of the subdivision, while Herbert A. Kipp platted and engineered the twenty-five lot site. Rice architect

William Ward Watkin William Ward Watkin (January 21, 1886 – June 24, 1952) was an architect primarily practicing in Houston, Texas. He was the founder of the Architecture Department of Rice University in 1912, and remained on the Rice faculty until his death ...

laid out the landscaping and designed a new Spanish-Mediterranean home for Captain Baker. When the infrastructure for Broadacres was completed by September 24, 1924, Baker announced that the assessments to lot owners would be reduced because the final bills came in below estimated costs. Though his parents resided at Broadacres, Baker developed a lot in a neighboring subdivision on Poor Farm Road in 1926.

Personal life

Baker married Bonner Means on August 4, 1917. The two met while they were attending the University of Texas and they engaged on 9 May 1917. As Baker anticipated his military orders, the couple accelerated their wedding schedule and scaled down the event. After the marriage, they honeymooned at

Mackinac Island, Michigan Mackinac Island ( ) is a city in Mackinac County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 census, the city had a permanent population of 583. The population numbers in the tens of thousands from May 1st to October 31st due to an influx o ...

. From 1927, the Bakers resided at their house on the curve on Poor Farm Road (Bissonnet Street) in the Turner Addition. Their neighbors included relatives and friends: Browne and Adelaide Lovett Baker, Malcolm Lovett, and William Kirkland. The Bakers lived at this address for the rest of their married lives.Kirkland (2012), p. 299. His father, also named James Addison Baker, was a partner of Baker, Botts and Baker and other antecedent of Baker Botts. James Addison Baker Jr. became a partner after ten years with the firm. Today, the law firm is called

, a major United States-based international law firm of around 800 attorneys. His son, James A. Baker III, is the political figure especially known from the Ronald Reagan and George H. W. Bush administrations.

Citations

References

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External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Baker, James A., Jr. 1892 births 1973 deaths American jurists The Hill School alumni Princeton University alumni United States Army personnel of World War I Lawyers from Houston University of Texas School of Law alumni Military personnel from Houston People associated with Baker Botts 20th-century American lawyers TMI Episcopal alumni United States Army officers