Lewis Baker (November 11, 1832 – April 30, 1899) was the Democratic

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...

of the

West Virginia Senate The West Virginia Senate is the upper house of the West Virginia Legislature. There are seventeen senatorial districts. Each district has two senators who serve staggered four-year terms. Although the Democratic Party held a supermajority in t ...

from Ohio County and served from 1871 to 1872. Lewis Baker was born in

Belmont County, Ohio Belmont County is a county in the U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 66,497. Its county seat is St. Clairsville. The county was created on September 7, 1801, and organized on November 7, 1801.McKelvey, ...

, in 1832. In the 1850 US Federal Census, he is listed as an apprentice printer in

Perry Township, Tuscarawas County, Ohio Perry Township is one of the twenty-two townships of Tuscarawas County, 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 mi ...

. He was admitted to practice law in Ohio. He declined the Democratic Party nomination to congress in his twenty fifth year. Just before the 1860 census, he married Ruth Amanda Fordyce, daughter of John Fordyce and Ruth Greg. Ruth was born August 12, 1842 in Ohio. In 1860, Lewis and Ruth were living in

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cambridge bec ...

Guernsey County, Ohio Guernsey County is a county located in the U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2020 census, the population was 38,438. Its county seat is Cambridge, and it is named for the Isle of Guernsey in the English Channel, from which many of the county's earl ...

. Lewis' occupation was listed as editor and publisher. By 1870, Lewis and Ruth were living in Ohio County, West Virginia with their children John, Mary, Harry, Anna, and Jennie. Harry was born in West Virginia in 1865, dating the family's move. Lewis' occupation was listed as journalist. On June 20, 1863,

West Virginia West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian, Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States.The Census Bureau and the Association of American Geographers classify West Virginia as part of the Southern United States while the Bur ...

became the 35th state in the Union. The Wheeling Custom House served as the first state house. Lewis Baker served as a state senator from 1871 to 1872. He was elected president of the Senate on January 17, 1871. On February 1, 1885 Lewis purchased the '' St. Paul Globe'' and moved his family to Minnesota. In 1893 Baker was appointed as the United States Minister to

Nicaragua Nicaragua (; ), officially the Republic of Nicaragua (), is the largest country in Central America, bordered by Honduras to the north, the Caribbean to the east, Costa Rica to the south, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. Managua is the cou ...

Costa Rica Costa Rica (, ; ; literally "Rich Coast"), officially the Republic of Costa Rica ( es, República de Costa Rica), is a country in the Central American region of North America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the no ...

and

El Salvador El Salvador (; , meaning " The Saviour"), officially the Republic of El Salvador ( es, República de El Salvador), is a country in Central America. It is bordered on the northeast by Honduras, on the northwest by Guatemala, and on the south b ...

. He sailed from New York aboard the ship ''Costa Rico'' on April 29, 1893 with his daughters Anne and Virginia. They arrived in

Managua ) , settlement_type = Capital city , motto = , image_map = , mapsize = , map_caption = , pushpin_map = Nicara ...

on May 12, 1893 in the midst of a revolution. Baker died in 1899 of anemia"Lewis Baker is Dead", ''Racine Daily Journal'', Monday, May 01, 1899, Racine, Wisconsin, United States Of America and was buried with his wife in Greenwood Cemetery in

Wheeling, West Virginia Wheeling is a city in the U.S. state of West Virginia. Located almost entirely in Ohio County, of which it is the county seat, it lies along the Ohio River in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains and also contains a tiny portion extending ...

References

* * * * , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Baker, Lewis 1832 births 1899 deaths Ambassadors of the United States to Costa Rica Ambassadors of the United States to El Salvador Ambassadors of the United States to Nicaragua 19th-century American diplomats Burials at Greenwood Cemetery (Wheeling, West Virginia) Journalists from West Virginia People from Ohio County, West Virginia People from Tuscarawas County, Ohio Presidents of the West Virginia State Senate Democratic Party West Virginia state senators Ohio lawyers 19th-century American newspaper publishers (people) People from Belmont County, Ohio 19th-century American journalists American male journalists 19th-century American male writers 19th-century American politicians Journalists from Ohio People from Cambridge, Ohio 19th-century American lawyers