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William Baker (Kansas politician)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
William Hewitt Baker
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Kansas's 6th district
In office
1891–1897
Preceded byErastus J. Turner
Succeeded byNelson B. McCormick
Personal details
Born(1831-04-29)April 29, 1831
Washington County, Pennsylvania
DiedFebruary 11, 1910(1910-02-11) (aged 78)
Lincoln Center, Kansas
Resting placeLincoln Center Cemetery
Political partyPopulist

William Hewitt Baker (April 29, 1831 – February 11, 1910) was a U.S. Representative from Kansas.

Personal life

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William Hewitt Baker was born near Centerville, Pennsylvania, and grew up to become a prominent figure in Kansas. He attended public school and graduated from Waynesboro in 1856. He married Philena Griffith in 1858, and they had eight children together. In 1878, Baker moved to Lincoln County, Kansas, where he became a farmer and rancher. He later entered politics and served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1891 to 1897. Baker died on February 11, 1910, 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

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Baker was a teacher and moved to Iowa in 1859 to become the principal of the public schools in Council Bluffs. Baker studied law, was admitted to the bar in 1860, but never practised. In 1865, he returned to Beallsville, Pennsylvania. From 1865 to 1878, he engaged in mercantile pursuits.

William Hewitt Baker, a member of the Populist Party, was elected to three consecutive terms in the U.S. House of Representatives, serving from March 4, 1891, to March 3, 1897, as part of the Fifty-second, Fifty-third, and Fifty-fourth Congresses. He was not a candidate for re-nomination in 1896, and he resumed agricultural pursuits.

References

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  • United States Congress. "William Baker (id: B000075)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
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U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Kansas's 6th congressional district

1891-1897
Succeeded by