William Hewitt Baker (April 29, 1831 – February 11, 1910) 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

Kansas Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to th ...

Personal life

Born near Centerville, Washington County, Pennsylvania, Baker attended public school and graduated from Waynesboro College in 1856. He married Philena Griffith in Washington County, PA. on November 25, 1858. They had 3 sons and 5 daughters. In 1878, he moved to

Lincoln County, Kansas Lincoln County (standard abbreviation: LC) is a county located in the U.S. state of Kansas. As of the 2020 census, the county population was 2,939. The largest city and county seat is Lincoln Center. History For many millennia, the Great Pl ...

, where he engaged in agricultural pursuits and stock raising. He died in

Lincoln, Kansas Lincoln Center, more commonly known as Lincoln, is a city in and the county seat of Lincoln County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 1,171. History Settler George Green founded the town of Lincoln ...

at 4:15 p.m., February 11, 1910 and was interred in Lincoln Center Cemetery. His obituary was published in the Lincoln Sentinel, February 10, 1910.

Career

Baker was a teacher and moved to

Iowa Iowa () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois to th ...

in 1859 to become the principal of the public schools in

Council Bluffs Council Bluffs is a city in and the county seat of Pottawattamie County, Iowa, United States. The city is the most populous in Southwest Iowa, and is the third largest and a primary city of the Omaha-Council Bluffs Metropolitan Area. It is loc ...

. Baker studied law, was

admitted to the bar An admission to practice law is acquired when a lawyer receives a license to practice law. In jurisdictions with two types of lawyer, as with barristers and solicitors, barristers must gain admission to the bar whereas for solicitors there are dist ...

in 1860, but never practiced. In 1865, he returned to Beallsville, Pennsylvania. From 1865–1878, he engaged in mercantile pursuits. A Populist, Baker was elected to the Fifty-second, Fifty-third, and Fifty-fourth Congresses (March 4, 1891 – March 3, 1897). He was not a candidate for re-nomination in 1896, and he resumed agricultural pursuits.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Baker, William 1831 births 1910 deaths People from Washington County, Pennsylvania Kansas Populists People's Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Kansas 19th-century American politicians People from Lincoln Center, Kansas Members of the United States House of Representatives from Kansas